Mycobacterium leprae is known to cause leprosy, a neurological and dermatological disease. In the past 20 years, 16 million leprosy cases have been recorded and more than 200,000 new cases were registered each year, indicating that the disease is still progressing without hindrance. M. leprae, an intracellular bacterium, infects the Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system. Several types of leprosy have been described, including indeterminate, tuberculoid, borderline tuberculoid, mid-borderline, borderline lepromatous and lepromatous, and three different forms of leprosy reactions, namely type 1, 2 and 3, have been designated. Microscopic detection, serological diagnostic test, polymerase chain reaction and flow tests are employed in the diagnosis of leprosy. The recommended treatment for leprosy consists of rifampicin, dapsone, clofazimine, ofloxacin and minocycline and vaccines are also available. However, relapse may occur after treatment has been halted and hence patients must be educated on the signs of relapse to allow proper treatment and reduce severity. In this review, we depict the current understanding of M. leprae pathogenicity, clinical aspects and manifestations. Transmission of leprosy, diagnosis and treatment are also discussed.

已知麻风分枝杆菌会引起麻风病，这是一种神经病学和皮肤病学疾病。在过去的20年中，已记录了1600万麻风病病例，每年登记的新病例超过20万，这表明该疾病仍在无障碍地发展。麻疯树是一种细胞内细菌，可感染周围神经系统的雪旺氏细胞。已经描述了几种类型的麻风病，包括不确定的，结核病的，交界性的结核病，中界界的，交界性的麻风病和麻风病，并且已经指定了三种不同形式的麻风反应，即1、2和3型。显微镜检查，血清学诊断测试，聚合酶链反应和血流测试被用于麻风的诊断。麻风的推荐治疗药物包括利福平，氨苯砜，氯法齐明，氧氟沙星和米诺环素，也可提供疫苗。但是，停止治疗后可能会发生复发，因此必须对患者进行复发征兆的教育，以便进行适当的治疗并降低严重程度。在这篇评论中，我们描述了当前对麻风杆菌的致病性，临床方面和表现。还讨论了麻风的传播，诊断和治疗。