''Mycobacterium lepraemurium'' is a causative agent of feline leprosy. It causes

granulomatous A granuloma is an aggregation of macrophages that forms in response to chronic inflammation. This occurs when the immune system attempts to isolate foreign substances that it is otherwise unable to eliminate. Such substances include infectiou ...

lesions A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

, characteristic of the

Mycobacterium ''Mycobacterium'' is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis ('' M. tuberculosis'') and ...

genus.

Description

Gram-positive, nonmotile and strongly acid-fast rods (3-5 µm long). Slightly rounded ends. Colony characteristics *Rough nonchromogenic colonies. Physiology *Growth on inspissated 1% egg yolk medium at 30 °C - 37 °C within 4–5 weeks (using large inocula, confined to a concentrated area of the medium, egg white is inhibitory).

Pathogenesis

*Cause of endemic disease of rats in various parts of the world, as well as feline leprosy. * feline leprosy is transmitted by bites from rats and other cats. *Disease occurs mainly in the skin and lymph nodes, causing induration, alopecia and eventual ulceration. * Nodular lesions, involving

subcutaneous tissues The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macro ...

, may be solitary or multiple and usually confined to the head region or the limbs. Nodules are fleshy and freely movable. *Surgical excision of the lesions is the preferred treatment. *Only the densely and uniformly stained forms appear to be infectious for animals, in contrast to the degenerate unevenly stained forms. * Biosafety level 2

Type strain

None specified due to difficulties in cultivation.

References

Acid-fast bacilli lepraemurium Leprosy Cat diseases Bacteria described in 1912 {{veterinary-med-stub