Dataset Information

Leprosy in an Adopted Woman Diagnosed by Molecular Tools: A Case Report from a Non-Endemic Area.

ABSTRACT: Coupled with its rarity in non-endemic areas, the clinical heterogeneity of leprosy makes diagnosis very challenging. We report a diagnosis of multibacillary leprosy in a 22-year-old Indian woman, adopted at the age of 10 and living in Italy. The patient presented with painful skin lesions on the face, trunk, and lower and upper extremities, associated with dysesthesia and a motor deficit in her left leg following corticosteroid therapy interruption. Histopathology results from the skin lesions suggested leprosy, but no acid-fast bacilli were identified. Molecular biology in a center specializing in tropical diseases confirmed the diagnosis, allowing prompt and adequate treatment. Genotype analysis allowed the identification of a genotype 1D of M. leprae, facilitating the epidemiological investigation of the plausible infection origin. No resistances to rifampicin, dapsone, or ofloxacin were detected. Leprosy will continue to exist in high-income nations, and the incidence may rise over time due to increasing migration and globalization. CARE guidelines were followed.

SUBMITTER: Beltrame A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9963898 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Leprosy in an Adopted Woman Diagnosed by Molecular Tools: A Case Report from a Non-Endemic Area.

Beltrame Anna A Fargnoli Maria Concetta MC Avanzi Charlotte C Sollima Laura L Pomari Elena E Mori Antonio A Longoni Silvia Stefania SS Moro Lucia L Orza Pierantonio P Jackson Mary M Perandin Francesca F

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) 20230120 2

Coupled with its rarity in non-endemic areas, the clinical heterogeneity of leprosy makes diagnosis very challenging. We report a diagnosis of multibacillary leprosy in a 22-year-old Indian woman, adopted at the age of 10 and living in Italy. The patient presented with painful skin lesions on the face, trunk, and lower and upper extremities, associated with dysesthesia and a motor deficit in her left leg following corticosteroid therapy interruption. Histopathology results from the skin lesions ...[more]

PMID: 36839437

Similar Datasets

Project description:Leprosy continues to be detected at near stable rates in China even with established control programs, necessitating new knowledge and alternative methods to interrupt transmission. A molecular epidemiology investigation of 190 patients was undertaken to define Mycobacterium leprae strain types and discern genetic relationships and clusters in endemic and non-endemic regions spanning seventeen provinces and two autonomous regions. The findings support multiple locus variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis as a useful tool in uncovering characteristic patterns across the multiethnic and divergent geographic landscape of China. Several scenarios of clustering of leprosy from township to provincial to regional levels were recognized, while recent occupational or remote migration showed geographical separation of certain strains. First, prior studies indicated that of the four major M. leprae subtypes defined by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), only type 3 was present in China, purportedly entering from Europe/West/Central Asia via the Silk Road. However, this study revealed VNTR linked strains that are of type 1 in Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi in southern China. Second, a subset of VNTR distinguishable strains of type 3, co-exist in these provinces. Third, type 3 strains with rpoT VNTR allele of 4, detected in Japan and Korea were discovered in Jiangsu and Anhui in the east and in western Sichuan bordering Tibet. Fourth, considering the overall genetic diversity, strains of endemic counties of Qiubei, Yunnan; Xing Yi, Guizhou; and across Sichuan in southwest were related. However, closer inspection showed distinct local strains and clusters. Altogether, these insights, primarily derived from VNTR typing, reveal multiple and overlooked paths for spread of leprosy into, within and out of China and invoke attention to historic maritime routes in the South and East China Sea. More importantly, new concepts and approaches for prospective case finding and tracking of leprosy from county to national level have been introduced.

Dataset Information

Leprosy in an Adopted Woman Diagnosed by Molecular Tools: A Case Report from a Non-Endemic Area.

Publications

Leprosy in an Adopted Woman Diagnosed by Molecular Tools: A Case Report from a Non-Endemic Area.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets