The Biology of Leprosy Bacteria and How they are Transmitted to Humans

Leprosy ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 20-63
Author(s):  
Charlotte A. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Genomic Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mycobacterium Lepromatosis ◽  
Complex Picture ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Different Strains ◽  
Resistance Form ◽  
Susceptibility And Resistance ◽  
Multibacillary Leprosy

This chapter considers the nature of the bacterial causes of leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, including research on their genomes. Paucibacillary leprosy is the high-resistance form of leprosy and multibacillary leprosy is the low-resistance form. It is clear that genomic research, including the documentation of different strains of the bacterium and identifying susceptibility and resistance genes, is providing knowledge that is helping to track transmission and identify areas within regions of countries that remain challenges for management. While it is concluded that leprosy is transmitted through the exhalation and then inhalation of bacteria-laden droplets (droplet infection), other reported mechanisms have been discussed, and there are environmental sources of the bacteria. Leprosy in children is rare, and males are affected more than females. The wide range of intrinsic (e.g., age, sex) and extrinsic (e.g., diet, living conditions) factors that make people more or less susceptible to leprosy provide a complex picture to manage when thinking about why any particular person contracts the infection. The wild nine-banded armadillo and the red squirrel natural endemic hosts for M. leprae, but while non-human primates may be affected there is no evidence of them being infected in the wild.

The State versus the People

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Rendle
Keyword(s):  
French Revolution ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
State Control ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Soviet State ◽  
The People ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Complex Picture ◽  
The Military

This book provides the first detailed account of the role of revolutionary justice in the early Soviet state. Law has often been dismissed by historians as either unimportant after the October Revolution amid the violence and chaos of civil war or even, in the absence of written codes and independent judges, little more than another means of violence. This is particularly true of the most revolutionary aspect of the new justice system, revolutionary tribunals—courts inspired by the French Revolution and established to target counter-revolutionary enemies. This book paints a more complex picture. The Bolsheviks invested a great deal of effort and scarce resources into building an extensive system of tribunals that spread across the country, including into the military and the transport network. At their peak, hundreds of tribunals heard hundreds of thousands of cases every year. Not all ended in harsh sentences: some were dismissed through lack of evidence; others given a wide range of sentences; others still suspended sentences; and instances of early release and amnesty were common. This book, therefore, argues that law played a distinct and multifaceted role for the Bolsheviks. Tribunals stood at the intersection between law and violence, offering various advantages to the Bolsheviks, not least strengthening state control, providing a more effective means of educating the population on counter-revolution, and enabling a more flexible approach to the state’s enemies. All of this adds to our understanding of the early Soviet state and, ultimately, of how the Bolsheviks held on to power.

Backpacking with the Saints

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belden C. Lane
Keyword(s):  
American Southwest ◽  
Spiritual Practice ◽  
Spiritual Journey ◽  
Human Response ◽  
John Muir ◽  
Hildegard Of Bingen ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Thich Nhat Hanh ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
John Of The Cross

Carrying only basic camping equipment and a collection of the world's great spiritual writings, Belden C. Lane embarks on solitary spiritual treks through the Ozarks and across the American Southwest. For companions, he has only such teachers as Rumi, John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingen, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Thomas Merton, and as he walks, he engages their writings with the natural wonders he encounters--Bell Mountain Wilderness with Søren Kierkegaard, Moonshine Hollow with Thich Nhat Hanh--demonstrating how being alone in the wild opens a rare view onto one's interior landscape, and how the saints' writings reveal the divine in nature. The discipline of backpacking, Lane shows, is a metaphor for a spiritual journey. Just as the wilderness offered revelations to the early Desert Christians, backpacking hones crucial spiritual skills: paying attention, traveling light, practicing silence, and exercising wonder. Lane engages the practice not only with a wide range of spiritual writings--Celtic, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi Muslim--but with the fascination of other lovers of the backcountry, from John Muir and Ed Abbey to Bill Plotkin and Cheryl Strayed. In this intimate and down-to-earth narrative, backpacking is shown to be a spiritual practice that allows the discovery of God amidst the beauty and unexpected terrors of nature. Adoration, Lane suggests, is the most appropriate human response to what we cannot explain, but have nonetheless learned to love. An enchanting narrative for Christians of all denominations, Backpacking with the Saints is an inspiring exploration of how solitude, simplicity, and mindfulness are illuminated and encouraged by the discipline of backcountry wandering, and of how the wilderness itself becomes a way of knowing-an ecology of the soul.

scholarly journals Deciphering the evolution of microbial interactions: in silico studies of two-member microbial communities

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayathri Sambamoorthy ◽  
Karthik Raman
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Community Function ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
In Silico Studies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In The Wild

Microbes thrive in communities, embedded in a complex web of interactions. These interactions, particularly metabolic interactions, play a crucial role in maintaining the community structure and function. As the organisms thrive and evolve, a variety of evolutionary processes alter the interactions among the organisms in the community, although the community function remains intact. In this work, we simulate the evolution of two-member microbial communities in silico to study how evolutionary forces can shape the interactions between organisms. We employ genomescale metabolic models of organisms from the human gut, which exhibit a range of interaction patterns, from mutualism to parasitism. We observe that the evolution of microbial interactions varies depending upon the starting interaction and also on the metabolic capabilities of the organisms in the community. We find that evolutionary constraints play a significant role in shaping the dependencies of organisms in the community. Evolution of microbial communities yields fitness benefits in only a small fraction of the communities, and is also dependent on the interaction type of the wild-type communities. The metabolites cross-fed in the wild-type communities appear in only less than 50% of the evolved communities. A wide range of new metabolites are cross-fed as the communities evolve. Further, the dynamics of microbial interactions are not specific to the interaction of the wild-type community but vary depending on the organisms present in the community. Our approach of evolving microbial communities in silico provides an exciting glimpse of the dynamics of microbial interactions and offers several avenues for future investigations.

scholarly journals Phonetic variation in the Korean liquid phoneme

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Drew Crosby ◽  
Amanda Dalola
Keyword(s):  
Phonetic Variation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Complex Picture ◽  
Prosodic Boundaries

Most discussions of the Korean liquid phoneme /l/ identify two allophones: a flap, [ɾ], in the onset of syllables, and an alveolar lateral approximant syllable-finally and in geminates. However, some research paints a more complex picture indicating a wide range of interspeaker variation for the precise articulatory realization of these allophones. The present research finds that in regards to the tap and laterals realizations previous descriptions are largely correct. It also affirms through analysis of F2 values that previous findings showing that the Korean lateral is palatalized before high front vocoids are correct. Most importantly, it analyzes F3 values to show that the retroflex variant is particularly prevalent near pauses, suggesting that retroflexion may be a secondary cue to prosodic boundaries.

Analysis of the Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Annexin A1 in Multibacillary Leprosy and Reactional Episodes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amilcar Sabino Damazo ◽  
Stephanni Figueiredo da Silva ◽  
Leticia Rossetto da Silva Cavalcante ◽  
Ezequiel Angelo Fonseca Junior ◽  
Joselina Maria da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suppressor Cells ◽  
Suppressor Cell ◽  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Histopathological Analysis ◽  
Annexin A1 ◽  
Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells ◽  
Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell ◽  
Leprosy Patients ◽  
Multibacillary Leprosy

Abstract Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Patients have distinct clinical forms, and host´s immunological response regulate those manifestations. In this work, the presence of the myeloid-derived suppressor cell and the regulatory protein annexin A1 is described in patients with multibacillary leprosy and with type 1 and 2 reactions. Methods: Patients were submitted to skin biopsy for histopathological analysis to obtain bacilloscopic index. Immunofluorescence was used to detect myeloid-derived suppressor cells and annexin A1.Results: The data demonstrated that the presence of granulocytic and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in leprosy patients. The high number of monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells were observed in lepromatous leprosy and type 2 reactional patients with Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination scar. The presence of annexin A1 was observed in all myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In particularly, the monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell in the lepromatous patients has higher levels of this protein when compared to the reactional patients. This data suggest that the higher expression of this protein may be related to regulatory response against a severe infection, contributing to anergic response. In type 1 reactional patients, the expression of annexin A1 was reduced. Conclusions: Myeloid-derived suppressor cell are present in leprosy patients and annexin A1 might be regulated the host response against Mycobacterium leprae.

Introduction

Leprosy ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Charlotte A. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
The Body ◽  
World Health ◽  
Neglected Tropical Disease ◽  
The World ◽  
Mycobacterium Lepromatosis ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Organization

This chapter introduces leprosy, an infection that is still misunderstood and considered a neglected tropical disease but declining in frequency, according to the World Health Organization. The bacteria that cause leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, are outlined, as well as how a relative strength of a person’s immune system determines how leprosy affects the body. Although leprosy is curable, associated stigma and disability remain common challenges for people with the disease in parts of the world. The goals and structure of the book are outlined, ten myths that still pervade society at large are listed, and the use of the word “leper” discussed. Based on World Health Organization data, the chapter also explores the frequency of leprosy today, where the infection remains a challenge, and the history of detecting and reporting evidence for leprosy in living populations. Finally, the reasons why bioarchaeologists have an interest in this infection are explored.

scholarly journals Powerful Bactericidal Activity of Moxifloxacin in Human Leprosy

2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 3113-3117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fe Eleanor F. Pardillo ◽  
Jasmin Burgos ◽  
Tranquilino T. Fajardo ◽  
Eduardo Dela Cruz ◽  
Rodolfo M. Abalos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Bactericidal Activity ◽  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Definite Improvement ◽  
Highly Effective ◽  
Leprosy Patients ◽  
Multibacillary Leprosy

ABSTRACT In a clinical trial of moxifloxacin in eight multibacillary leprosy patients, moxifloxacin proved highly effective. In all trial patients, a single 400-mg dose of moxifloxacin resulted in significant killing (P ≤ 0.006) of Mycobacterium leprae, ranging from 82% to 99%, with a mean of 91%. In all instances, no viable bacilli were detected with an additional 3 weeks of daily therapy, this observed rapid bactericidal activity being matched previously only by rifampin. On moxifloxacin therapy, skin lesions cleared exceedingly rapidly with definite improvement observed consistently after eight doses and progressive resolution continuing for the 56 days of the trial. Side effects, toxicities, and laboratory abnormalities were mild, not requiring discontinuation of therapy.

Inheritance of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Inhibitor Resistance in Wild Oat (Avena fatua)

Weed Science ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce G. Murray ◽  
Ian N. Morrison ◽  
Anita L. Brûlé-Babel
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Avena Fatua ◽  
Wild Oat ◽  
Acetyl Coa Carboxylase ◽  
Reciprocal Crosses ◽  
Characteristic Response ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Segregation Ratios ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Inhibitor Resistance

Resistance to fenoxaprop-P and other aryloxyphenoxypropionate and cyclohexanedione herbicides in the wild oat population, UM1, is controlled by a single, partially dominant, nuclear gene. In arriving at this conclusion, parents, F1hybrids, and F2plants derived from reciprocal crosses between UM1 and a susceptible wild oat line, UM5, were treated with fenoxaprop-P over a wide range of dosages. Based on these experiments, a dosage of 400 g ai ha−1fenoxaprop-P was selected to discriminate between three response types. At this dosage, susceptible plants were killed and resistant plants were unaffected, whereas plants characterized as intermediate in response were injured but recovered. Treated F2plants segregated in a 1:2:1 (R, I, S) ratio, indicative of single nuclear gene inheritance. This was confirmed by selfing F2plants and screening several F3families. Families derived from intermediate F2plants segregated for the three characteristic response types, whereas those derived from resistant F2plants were uniformly resistant. Chisquare analysis indicated the F2segregation ratios fit those expected for a single partially dominant nuclear gene system. In addition, F2populations from both crosses were screened with a mixture of fenoxaprop-Pand sethoxydim. The dosages of both herbicides (150 g ai ha−1fenoxaprop-P and 100 g ha−1sethoxydim) were sufficient to control only susceptible plants. Treated F2populations segregated in a 3:1 (R:S) pattern, thereby confirming that resistance to the two chemically unrelated herbicides results from the same gene alteration.

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