Bactericidal Effects of Phytochemicals on Mycobacterium leprae , the Causative Agent of Leprosy

Leprosy, also called as Hansen's disease, is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae . This bacterial infection mostly affects the mucous membranes and the peripheral nerves of the body. Leprosy can also lead to skin discoloration. The main mode of transmission of M. leprae is prolonged social contact with an untreated or affected person. The majority of cases are reported in about 105 countries mostly located in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, Western Mediterranean, and Eastern Pacific. In 2018, India, Brazil, and Indonesia accounted for about 80% of the cases reported worldwide. Multidrug therapy was introduced in the early 1980s and this remarkably reduced the prevalence of leprosy. The point of entry of M. leprae is the upper airway of a susceptible host. The diagnosis of leprosy is mainly clinical – based on a variety of clinical features arising from two types of reactions caused by the presence of the infective agent in the body. In this chapter, the epidemiology, clinical features, and management of leprosy, including the potentials of medicinal plants for the treatment of leprosy, are discussed. In addition, the usefulness of computational tools in designing drugs against various biological targets of M. leprae is discussed.