Current approaches and future directions in the treatment of leprosy

rrent approaches and future directions in the treatment of leprosy Review (1933) Total Article Views Authors: Worobec SM Published Date August 2012 Volume 2012:3 Pages 79 - 91 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/RRTM.S27395 Received: 13 March 2012 Accepted: 23 May 2012 Published: 02 August 2012 Sophie M Worobec Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA Abstract: This review surveys current treatments and future treatment trends in leprosy from a clinical perspective. The World Health Organization provides a multidrug treatment regimen that targets the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus which causes leprosy. Several investigational drugs are available for the treatment of drug-resistant M. leprae. Future directions in leprosy treatment will focus on: the molecular signaling mechanism M. leprae uses to avoid triggering an immune response; prospective studies of the side effects experienced during multiple-drug therapy; recognition of relapse rates post-completion of designated treatments; combating multidrug resistance; vaccine development; development of new diagnostic tests; and the implications of the recent discovery of a genetically distinct leprosy-causing bacillus, Mycobacterium lepromatosis.