01159nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002200055653001800077653001100095653001200106653002600118653002500144653002300169100001200192700001300204245009600217300001000313490000700323520058500330022001400915       2004                            d  c2004 Feb10aGenetic Variation10aGlobal health10aHumans10aleprosy10aMinisatellite Repeats10aMycobacterium leprae10aWater Microbiology1 aIzumi S1 aAgusni I00a[Global situation of leprosy and recent progress in molecular epidemiology of the disease].  a37-460 v733 a<p>Recent discovery of genetic diversity of Mycobacterium leprae such as variable number of tandem repeats opened a new era in molecular epidemiology of leprosy infection. It was revealed that the leprosy bacillus in residential environment of endemic villages is an important source of infection. The global elimination strategy will be revised taking new molecular epidemiological knowledge into account. Responsibility of leprosy specialist is to propose feasible control program to local administration based on the epidemiological analysis on transmission of the disease.</p>  a1342-3681