01308nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653003100059653002300090653001100113653001200124653002500136653003200161100001100193245005500204300001100259490000600270520081200276022001401088       1987                            d  c1987 Oct-Dec10aBacteriological Techniques10aCytochrome c Group10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aNontuberculous Mycobacteria1 aKato L00aThe leprosy bacillus: a microbe-dependent microbe.  a265-700 v53 a<p>Since the discovery of the leprosy bacillus, cultivable mycobacteria were regularly found in lepratic tissues of humans and armadillos. Unpublished data indicate that Professor Hugo Preisz isolated and collected several cultures of unidentified cultivable strains of mycobacteria from leprosy sufferers. Recent findings suggest that Mycobacterium leprae is a microbe-dependent, mycobactin-deficient microorganism. The author proposes the concept that secondary mycobacteria found in leprosy cases are ethilogical cofactors in the pathogenesis of leprosy. Since secondary mycobacteria are rich in mycobactin, it is suggested that they provide the essential mycobactin for growth multiplication and virulence for the mycobactin deficient leprosy bacilli. The implications of this concept are discussed.</p>  a0001-5938