ABSTRACT
Like TB, leprosy is a disease caused by Mycobacterium; this time, the infectious agent is Mycobacterium leprae, but recently, a second Mycobacterium was identied (M. lepromatosis) that also causes leprosy in humans. Both are rod-shaped bacteria and surrounded by a waxy membrane (Figure 6.1). Neither species can survive outside of their living hosts and cannot be cultured in the lab, making the study of them difcult.
