BOW: Leprosy

Look up a disease of one of the senses: vision, hearing, skin, taste and smell. What causes the disease? What are the symptoms? How can it be treated? Include a picture an a reference 

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. The symptoms of this disease do not appear till long after exposure, making it difficult to track. However, it is not easy to spread from person to person, while people have been known to contract the disease from armadillos. Essentially, what this disease does is create various lesions and bumps, cause numbness on the skin, and weakness in the muscles. There are many various antibiotics that attack the bacteria, and several are generally used together to treat the disease, along with drugs designed to control inflammation. However, leprosy can have long lasting effects, including permanent nerve damage, muscle weakness, and disfigurement.




Reference:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002323/


http://www.dmoz.org/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/Infectious_Diseases/Mycobacterial/Hansen's_Disease/


http://www.wayang.net/?page_id=169