RT Book, Section
A1 Meyers, Wayne M.
A1 Walsh, Douglas S.
A1 Portaels, FrançOise
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7026358
T1 Chapter 271. Leprosy
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7026358
RD 2024/04/20
AB Leprosy  is  a  chronic  infectious  disease  caused  by  Mycobacterium  leprae,  an  acid-fast  bacillus  (AFB).  It  was  first  recognized  by  Hansen  in  1873  in  Bergen,  Norway,  while  examining  smears  from  lepromas  of  Norwegian  patients.  Notably,  the  organism  was  the  first  reported  bacterium  causing  chronic  disease  in  humans  that  principally  affects  the  cooler  parts  of  the  body,  especially  the  skin,  upper  respiratory  tract,  testes,  eyes,  and  superficial  segments  of  peripheral  nerves.1,2  The  stigma  suffered  by  patients  with  leprosy  has  historically  been  severe.  For  a  review  of  the  history  of  leprosy  refer  to  the  electronic  text.  Because  of  the  stigma  of  leprosy,  the  physician  must  carefully  consider  the  social  implications  of  a  diagnosis  of  leprosy,  especially  in  children.