Construction and Analysis of the Complete Genome Sequence of Leprosy Agent Mycobacterium lepromatosis

Leprosy is a dreaded infection that still affects millions of people worldwide. Mycobacterium lepromatosis is a recently recognized cause in addition to the well-known Mycobacterium leprae . M. lepromatosis is likely specific for diffuse lepromatous leprosy, a severe form of the infection and endemic in Mexico. This study constructed and annotated the complete genome sequence of M. lepromatosis FJ924 and performed comparative genomic analyses with related mycobacteria.