Diagnosis
The diagnosis of leprosy is essentially a clinical one. Highly suggestive of the disease is the finding of acid- fast bacilli in smears from the skin or nasal mucosa.
Definitive diagnosis is established by cultivating the organisms in the foot-pads of mice or armadillo. This is both time consuming and expensive. The polymerase chain reaction can provide a rapid and sensitive screen for Mycobacterium leprae, but it is not widely available.
Reference
- World Health Organization. Leprosy. Jan 2022 [internet publication].
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.