The Mycobacterial Infections: Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis , is the best-known mycobacterial infection of humans. This chapter considers serious and important mycobacterial infections of the poor—Buruli ulcer and leprosy, which have not benefited from the same level of advocacy as TB. Buruli ulcer and leprosy are two highly disfiguring and stigmatizing neglected tropical diseases that occur almost exclusively among the impoverished living in developing countries. Today, as a result of widespread use of a cocktail of antimycobacterial drugs known as multidrug therapy (MDT), the global registered prevalence of leprosy has been reduced to approximately 200,000 new cases detected annually and almost that many registered cases. The enhanced global strategy emphasizes early detection and reduction of disabilities among new cases by ensuring that patients receive a full course of MDT.