02023nas a2200373   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653001800089653001000107653002100117653001900138653001100157653001100168653001200179653000900191653001600200653002500216653001700241653003000258100001600288700001200304700001300316700001000329700001200339245009800351856007800449300001200527490000700539520108900546022001401635       1993                            d  c1993 Nov10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aCarrier State10aChild10aChild, Preschool10aDNA, Bacterial10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium leprae10aNasal Mucosa10apolymerase chain reaction1 aKlatser P R1 aBeers S1 aMadjid B1 aDay R1 aWit M Y00aDetection of Mycobacterium leprae nasal carriers in populations for which leprosy is endemic.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC266167/pdf/jcm00023-0121.pdf  a2947-510 v313 a<p>In order to better understand the role of Mycobacterium leprae nasal carriage in the maintenance of infection reservoirs and transmission of leprosy, we applied a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that detected a 531-bp fragment of the pra gene of M. leprae on nasal swab specimens collected through a total population survey from individuals living in an area in which leprosy is endemic. Among the total tested population of 1,228 people, 7.8% were found to be PCR positive. PCR positivity was shown to be randomly distributed among the population for which leprosy is endemic. No association was observed between PCR positivity, age, or sex. The observed distribution of PCR positivity among households of different sizes confirmed the expected values, with the exception of two households, each with three people with PCR-positive nasal swab specimens. Although nasal carriage does not necessarily imply infection or excretion of bacilli, the finding of nasal carriage supports the theory of a disseminated occurrence of M. leprae in populations for which leprosy is endemic.</p>  a0095-1137