Rapid test for Mycobacterium leprae infection: a practical tool for leprosy.

Background: Detection of infection with Mycobacterium leprae allows timely prophylactic treatment, thereby reducing transmission as well as the risk of permanent, leprosy-associated nerve damage. However, since there is no worldwide-implemented standard test for M. leprae infection, detection of infection in asymptomatic individuals remains a major challenge for control programs in endemic areas.

Leprosy.

Leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, causes significant morbidity in marginalized communities. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, annual new case detection plateaued for over a decade at ~200,000 new cases. The clinical phenotypes of leprosy strongly parallel host immunity to its causative agents Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.

Evaluation of PLGA, lipid-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles, and cationic pH-sensitive liposomes as tuberculosis vaccine delivery systems in a Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge mouse model - A comparison.

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a global threat for millennia, currently affecting over 2 billion people and causing 10.6 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths annually.

Origin and spread of leprosy in Suriname. A historical and biomedical study.

The new world was considered free of leprosy before the arrival of Europeans. In Suriname, historical migration routes suggest that leprosy could have been introduced from West Africa by the slave trade, from Asia by indentured workers, from Europe by the colonizers, and more recently by Brazilian gold miners. Previous molecular studies on environmental and ancient samples suggested a high variability of the strains circulating in the country, possibly resulting from the various migration waves.

Molecular and Serological Surveillance for and in Wild Red Squirrels () from Scotland and Northern England.

Leprosy is a poverty-associated infectious disease in humans caused by or , often resulting in skin and peripheral nerve damage, which remains a significant public health concern in isolated areas of low- and middle-income countries. Previous studies reported leprosy in red squirrels in the British Isles, despite the fact that autochthonous human cases have been absent for centuries in this region. To investigate the extent of and presence in wild red squirrels in the northern UK, we analyzed 220 blood/body cavity fluid samples from opportunistically sampled red squirrels (2004-2023) for specific antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-I, a cell wall component specific for these leprosy bacilli.

A one health-focused literature review on bovine and zoonotic tuberculosis in Pakistan from the past two decades: challenges and way forward for control.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by (), is a globally prevalent zoonotic infectious disease. World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) estimates indicate that up to 10% of the total human TB cases in developing countries are attributed to . Pakistan ranks 4th in global milk production with a livestock population of over 212 million animals.

Metformin as adjunctive therapy in combination with multidrug treatment for multibacillary leprosy: A protocol for a randomized double-blind, controlled Phase 2 trial in Indonesia (MetLep Trial).

Background: The clinical management of leprosy is complicated by leprosy reactions (LR) causing irreversible nerve damage and disabilities. LR often require long-term use of corticosteroids causing serious side effects. Adjunct host-directed therapy (HDT) is a potentially attractive strategy in leprosy to prevent LR and associated immunopathology, modulate immunological memory that protects against recurrence, and thereby reduce nerve damage, disability and corticosteroid-associated morbidities.

Post-exposure prophylaxis in leprosy (PEOPLE): a cluster randomised trial.

Background: Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) using single-dose rifampicin reduces progression from infection with Mycobacterium leprae to leprosy disease. We compared effectiveness of different administration modalities, using a higher (20 mg/kg) dose of rifampicin-single double-dose rifampicin (SDDR)-PEP.

Methods: We did a cluster randomised study in 16 villages in Madagascar and 48 villages in Comoros.

Target product profiles: leprosy diagnostics.

The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to reduce new leprosy cases by 70% by 2030, necessitating advancements in leprosy diagnostics. Here we discuss the development of two WHO's target product profiles for such diagnostics. These profiles define criteria for product use, design, performance, configuration and distribution, with a focus on accessibility and affordability.

Phosphatidylinositolmannoside vaccination induces lipid-specific Th1-responses and partially protects guinea pigs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge.

The concept of donor-unrestricted T cells (DURTs) comprises a heterogeneity of lymphoid cells that respond to an abundance of unconventional epitopes in a non-MHC-restricted manner. Vaccinologists strive to harness this so far underexplored branch of the immune system for new vaccines against tuberculosis. A particular division of DURTs are T cells that recognize their cognate lipid antigen in the context of CD1-molecules.

Development of lateral flow assays to detect host proteins in cattle for improved diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by () infection in cattle, is an economically devastating chronic disease for livestock worldwide. Efficient disease control measures rely on early and accurate diagnosis using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), followed by culling of positive animals. Compromised performance of TST and IGRA, due to BCG vaccination or co-infections with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), urges improved diagnostics.

Field evaluation of a point-of-care triage test for active tuberculosis (TriageTB).

Background: To improve tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for a non-sputum based triage test to focus TB testing on people with a high likelihood of having active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Various host or pathogen biomarker-based testing devices are in design stage and require validity assessment. Host biomarkers have shown promise to accurately rule out active TB, but further research is required to determine generalisability.

The course of cytokine and chemokine gene expression in clinically suspect arthralgia patients during progression to inflammatory arthritis.

Objectives: Autoantibody responses increase years before the onset of inflammatory arthritis (IA) and are stable during transitioning from clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) to IA. Cytokine and chemokine levels also increase years before IA onset. However, the course in the at-risk stage of CSA during progression to disease or non-progression is unknown.

Protocol, rationale and design of BE-PEOPLE (Bedaquiline enhanced exposure prophylaxis for LEprosy in the Comoros): a cluster randomized trial on effectiveness of rifampicin and bedaquiline as post-exposure prophylaxis of leprosy contacts.

Background: Leprosy is an ancient infectious disease with an annual global incidence of around 200,000 over the past decade. Since 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends single-dose rifampicin as post-exposure prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) for contacts of leprosy patients. The Post ExpOsure Prophylaxis for Leprosy (PEOPLE) trial evaluated PEP with a double dose of rifampicin in Comoros and Madagascar.

and host immune transcriptomic signatures for reactional states in leprosy.

Background: transcriptomic and human host immune gene expression signatures that demonstrate a plausible association with type I (T1R) and type II reactions (T2R) aid in early diagnosis, prevention of nerve damage and consequent demyelinating neuropathy in leprosy. The aim of the study is to identify and host-associated gene-expression signatures that are associated with reactional states in leprosy.

Methods: The differentially expressed genes from the whole transcriptome of were determined using genome-wide hybridization arrays with RNA extracted from skin biopsies of 20 T1R, 20 T2R and 20 non reactional controls (NR).

Host biomarker-based quantitative rapid tests for detection and treatment monitoring of tuberculosis and COVID-19.

Diagnostic services for tuberculosis (TB) are not sufficiently accessible in low-resource settings, where most cases occur, which was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Early diagnosis of pulmonary TB can reduce transmission. Current TB-diagnostics rely on detection of in sputum requiring costly, time-consuming methods, and trained staff.

Protein Levels of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines as Biomarkers of Infection and BCG Vaccination in Cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by , is a globally prevalent infectious disease with significant animal welfare and economic impact. Difficulties in implementing test-and-slaughter measures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the underperformance of the current diagnostics establish a clear need to develop improved diagnostics. Adaptive immunity biomarkers other than IFNγ could be useful as suggested by various gene expression studies; however, a comprehensive assessment at the protein level is lacking.

CLINICAL PROGRESSION OF LEPROSY IN EURASIAN RED SQUIRRELS () IN A NATURALLY INFECTED WILD POPULATION.

Leprosy has been described in Eurasian red squirrel (; ERS) carcasses since 2014. Studies of ERS carcasses have not provided information about incubation or disease progression in this host but have provided important insights into pathogen presence and distribution throughout the United Kingdom. Here we present field study data on 31 live ERS from an island population naturally infected with that were assessed longitudinally over a 2-yr time period.

Quantitative Rapid Test for Detection and Monitoring of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Nonhuman Primates.

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are relevant models to study the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB) and evaluate the potential of TB therapies, but rapid tools allowing diagnosis of active pulmonary TB in NHPs are lacking. This study investigates whether low complexity lateral flow assays utilizing upconverting reporter particles (UCP-LFAs) developed for rapid detection of human serum proteins can be applied to detect and monitor active pulmonary TB in NHPs. UCP-LFAs were used to assess serum proteins levels and changes in relation to the MTB challenge dosage, lung pathology, treatment, and disease outcome in experimentally MTB-infected macaques.

Detection and Monitoring of Infection in Nine Banded Armadillos () Using a Quantitative Rapid Test.

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by with tropism for skin and peripheral nerves. Incessant transmission in endemic areas is still impeding elimination of leprosy. Although detection of infection remains a challenge in asymptomatic individuals, the presence of antibodies specific for phenolglycolipid-I (PGL-I) correlate with bacterial load.

Minimally invasive sampling to identify leprosy patients with a high bacterial burden in the Union of the Comoros.

The World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed diagnosis of leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease) entirely based on clinical cardinal signs, without microbiological confirmation, which may lead to late or misdiagnosis. The use of slit skin smears is variable, but lacks sensitivity. In 2017-2018 during the ComLep study, on the island of Anjouan (Union of the Comoros; High priority country according to WHO, 310 patients were diagnosed with leprosy (paucibacillary = 159; multibacillary = 151), of whom 263 were sampled for a skin biopsy and fingerstick blood, and 260 for a minimally-invasive nasal swab.