[Current advances in leprosy research activities].

Due to the advent of multi-drug therapy (MDT) recommended by the WHO, for the treatment of leprosy, presently, leprosy is regarded as a "curable disease". The number of new cases in Japan is relatively very low, due to which the disease is likely to be neglected, but on scientific grounds, there is a necessity to perform in depth studies. Leprosy caused by M. leprae is still unclear on various aspects including transmission, immunology, nerve damage etc. Here we introduce the recent advances in the field of basic leprosy research.