Fluorescent Hybridization of Mycobacterium leprae in Skin Samples Collected in Burkina Faso

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae , and it remains underdiagnosed in Burkina Faso. We investigated the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting M. leprae in 27 skin samples (skin biopsy samples, slit skin samples, and skin lesion swabs) collected from 21 patients from Burkina Faso and three from Côte d’Ivoire who were suspected of having cutaneous leprosy. In all seven Ziehl-Neelsen-positive skin samples (four skin biopsy samples and three skin swabs collected from the same patient), FISH specifically identified M. leprae , including one FISH-positive skin biopsy sample that remained negative after testing with PCR targeting the rpoB gene and with the GenoType LepraeDR assay.