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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060
EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 110, No. 7, 2015, pp. 898-905
Bioline Code: oc15123
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 110, No. 7, 2015, pp. 898-905

 en Widespread nasal carriage of Mycobacterium leprae check for this species in other resources among a healthy population in a hyperendemic region of northeastern Brazil
Nepomuceno Gondim Costa Lima, Luana; Cunha Frota, Cristiane; Maria Salani Mota, Rosa; Livia Freitas Almeida, Rosa; Araci de Andrade Pontes, Maria; de Sá Gonçalves, Heitor; Cunha Rodrigues, Laura; Kendall, Carl & Kerr, Ligia

Abstract

A case-control study was conducted to determine the presence of Mycobacterium leprae check for this species in other resources DNA in nasal secretions of leprosy cases and nonleprosy individuals in Fortaleza, Brazil. It included 185 cases identified by physicians at the Dona Libânia National Reference Centre for Sanitary Dermatology (CDERM). A control group (Co) (n = 136) was identified among individuals from CDERM not diagnosed as leprosy cases. To augment the spatial analysis of M. leprae specific repetitive element (RLEP) positive prevalence, an external group (EG) (n = 121), a convenience sample of healthy students, were included. Polymerase chain reaction for the RLEP sequence was conducted for all participants. Prevalence of RLEP positivity for cases and Co were 69.2% and 66.9%, respectively, significantly higher than for EG (28.1%), and reported elsewhere. Male sex, belonging to a lower socioeconomic status (D/E), history of a previous contact with a case and being older, were associated with being a leprosy case. Our geographical analysis demonstrated that the bacillus is widespread among the healthy population, with clusters of RLEP positive multibacillary cases concentrated in distinct areas of the city. Our results suggest that in endemic areas, as in Fortaleza, surveillance for both nonhousehold leprosy contacts and members of the general population living in cluster areas should be implemented.

Keywords
leprosy; Mycobacterium leprae; nasal carriage; case-control; RLEP PCR; Brazil

 
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