Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Mycobacterium leprae
Sign in to savespecies of bacterium; form of leprosy
OverviewAI-generated
*Mycobacterium leprae* is a species of gram-positive bacteria within the genus *Mycobacterium*. It belongs to the family Mycobacteriaceae, order Mycobacteriales, class Actinomycetia, and phylum Actinobacteriota in the kingdom Bacteria. The organism is also referred to by common names such as Hansen’s coccus spirilly, Hanseni kepike, Leepra mükobakter, and Leeprabatsill.
The bacterium causes leprosy. Its cells are described as short rods or slightly curved, measuring approximately 2–6µm in length and 0.2–0.6µm in width. The organism is aerobic and exhibits acid-fast staining properties, appearing red under this method. Records of the species are held by institutions including YPM and NHMUK, with occurrences documented in Kuwait.
Synthesized by Vinony from 29 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, iNaturalist, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Encyclopedia of Life, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
SPECIES
- KingdomBacteria
- PhylumActinobacteriota
- ClassActinomycetia
- OrderMycobacteriales
- FamilyMycobacteriaceae
麻风杆菌也称为韩森氏杆菌，是一种可引起麻风病的分支杆菌，菌体呈短小棒状或稍弯曲，长约2-6µm，宽约0.2-0.6µm，抗酸染色呈红色（抗酸性），革兰氏染色呈阳性，好氧菌。
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 16
- With media
- 1
- Family
- Mycobacteriaceae
- Collections
- YPM, NHMUK
- Recorded in
- Kuwait
Research
8,116 papers- Mycobacterium leprae's evolution and environmental adaptation.Acta tropica · 2019
- Genetic variability, genotyping, and genomics of Mycobacterium leprae.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2025
- Mycobacterium leprae and leprosy: a compendium.Microbiology and immunology · 2001
- Mycobacterium leprae in Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), Ecuador.Emerging infectious diseases · 2024
- Sensitivity of Mycobacterium leprae to Telacebec.Emerging infectious diseases · 2022
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Mycobacterium
- Image
- Mycobacterium leprae.jpeg
Show 7 more facts
- taxon name
- Mycobacterium leprae
- taxon rank
- species
- Commons category
- Mycobacterium leprae
- has effect
- leprosy
- taxon common name
- 麻風桿菌
- Gram staining
- gram-positive bacteria
via Wikidata · CC0
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Mycobacterium leprae (also known as the leprosy bacillus or Hansen's bacillus) is one of the two species of bacteria that cause Hansen's disease (leprosy), a chronic but curable infectious disease that damages the peripheral nerves and targets the skin, eyes, nose, and muscles.
It is an acid-fast, Gram-positive, rod shaped bacterium and an obligate intracellular parasite, which means, unlike its relative Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it cannot be grown in cell-free laboratory media. This is likely due to gene deletion and decay that the genome of the species has experienced via reductive evolution, which has caused the bacterium to depend heavily on its host for nutrients and metabolic intermediates. It has a narrow host range and apart from humans, the only other natural hosts are nine-banded armadillo and red squirrels. The bacteria infect mainly macrophages and Schwann cells, and are typically found congregated as a palisade.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mycobacterium leprae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.