Leprosy Transcriptome (mRNA)

Leprosy, which is caused by the human pathogen Mycobacterium leprae, causes nerve damage, deformity and disability in over 200,000 people every year. Because of the long doubling time of M. leprae (13 days) and the delayed onset of detectable symptoms, which is estimated to be approximately 3-7 years after infection, there is always a large percentage of subclinically infected individuals in the population who will eventually develop the disease, mainly in endemic countries. The present study reports the leprosy transcriptome of human blood and skin, revealing that the mRNA examined are downregulated and upregulated in leprosy lesions.