Adherence of Mycobacterium leprae to the nasal mucosa is influenced by surface integrity and viability

摘要

The intranasal route is one of the main routes of Mycobacterium leprae infection and there is paucity of information regarding the mode of spread of the pattern. The adherence of M. leprae to the nasal mucosa, its trapping within the sinuses of the head, and its fate after entry into the host was studied using mouse model. A comparison of the adherence profile of M. leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis showed that while larger numbers of M. tuberculosis were demon- strated within lungs, greater numbers of M. leprae were present within the sinuses of the head. Adherence of M. leprae to the nasal mucosa was dependent on surface integrity since opsoni- zation and heat killing resulted in decreased numbers of M. leprae in the nasal sinuses and a greater amount entering the lungs.