01185nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653001500067653002700082653002600109653002600135653002600161653001100187653001200198653002500210653001300235653002200248100001700270245010200287300001200389490000600401520049800407022001400905       2000                            d  c2000 Dec10aAnimals10aArmadillos10aDisease Models, Animal10aEndothelium, Vascular10aHistory, 19th Century10aHistory, 20th Century10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aNeuritis10aPeripheral nerves1 aScollard D M00aEndothelial cells and the pathogenesis of lepromatous neuritis:insights from the armadillo model.  a1835-430 v23 a<p>Selective infection of peripheral nerves is a unique property of Mycobacterium leprae that results in serious injury, but its basis is unexplained. Recent evidence from infected armadillos suggests that endothelial cells of peripheral nerve vasculature may be the gatekeepers by which M. leprae infects nerves. The pathogenesis of neuropathy in leprosy may thus entail a dynamic sequence of adhesion, immunologic, and inflammatory processes involving peripheral nerve endothelial cells.</p>  a1286-4579