Mycobacterium leprae

species of bacterium; form of leprosy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mycobacterium leprae
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Mycobacterium leprae is a bacteria. It causes the disease, leprosy, also known as the Hanson's Disease.

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Discovery

The bacterium was discovered in 1873 by a Norwegian doctor named Gerhard Armauer Hansen. M. leprae is a gram-positive, aerobic rod surrounded by the characteristic waxy coating unique to Mycobacteria.

Features

In size and shape, it closely resembles M. tuberculosis. Due to its thick, waxy coating, stains with carbol-fuchsin are used, rather than with the traditional Gram staining method.

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