Molecular Biology: Open Access

Acosta Soto

Publications

• Review Article
  Leprosy Diagnosis: An Update on the Use of Molecular Tools Lucrecia
  Author(s): Acosta Soto and Pedro Torres MuñozAcosta Soto and Pedro Torres Muñoz
  
  Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by an obligatory intracellular mycobacteria Mycobacterium leprae, which presents tropism for Schwann cells and skin macrophages. Leprosy is a public health problem and early diagnosis is essential to avoid incapacities. The disease´s clinical presentation varies from few to widespread lesions and its diagnosis continues to be a challenge due to the low sensibility of the conventional methods, based on bacillary counts of skin smears and histopathology. Molecular techniques, especially the methods to identify M. leprae DNA based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have emerged as a support of the conventional methods for the analysis of clinical samples in difficult to diagnose cases, such as pure neural leprosy, indeterminate and paucibacillary leprosy. The technique has also proved useful in the study of leprosy transmission.. Read More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2168-9547.1000139

  Abstract PDF