Mycobacteria leprae

Mycobacteria consist of a fairly diverse group of acid-fast bacteria. The best-known members areM tuberculosis andM leprae, the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively. Other mycobacteria can also cause serious irrfection, e.g. members of the MAI group, and there are many opportunistic species. 

Mycobacteria (e.g. M. tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, and M. leprae, which causes leprosy). 

Rifampin inhibits the bacterial enzyme that catalyzes DNA template-directed RNA transcription, i.e DNA-de-pendent RNA polymerase. Rifampin acts bactericidally against mycobacteria (M. tuberculosis, M. leprae), as well as many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria It is well absorbed after oral ingestion. Because resistance may develop with frequent usage, it is restricted to the treatment of tuberculosis and leprosy (p. 280). 

Mycobacteria are responsible for two diseases tuberculosis, mostly caused by M. tuberculosis, and leprosy due to M. leprae. The therapeutic principle applicable to both is combined treatment with two or more drugs. Combination therapy prevents the emergence of resistant mycobacteria Because the antibacterial effects of the individual substances are additive, correspondingly smaller doses are sufficient Therefore, the risk of individual adverse effects is lowered. Most drugs are active against only one of the two diseases. 

Mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium, Myco-bac-terium leprae, Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium fortuitum-M, Mycobacterium chelonae, and a few others are pathogenic organisms that cause very serious diseases in humans. The characteristic feature of mycobacteria is their high content of lipids (about 40% of their mass), and they are primarily located on the outer bacterial membrane. 

Rifampicin is highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Among atypical mycobacteria, it is active against Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium marinum, and most types of Mycobacterium scrofulaceum and Mycobacterium xenopi. Sensitivity of other mycobacteria varies. Rifampicin also exhibits activity against Mycobacterium leprae. 

Mycobacteria. Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis, tuberculosis M. leprae, leprosy)... 

Not all mycobacterial infections are caused by M. tuberculosis or M. leprae. These atypical mycobacteria require treatment with secondary medications as well as other chemotherapeutic agents. For example, M. marinum causes skin granulomas, and effective drugs in the treatment of infection are rifampin or minocycline. Mycobacterium fortuitum causes skin ulcers and the medications recommended for treatment are ethambutol, cycloserine, and rifampin in combination with amikacin. 

Mycobacteria comprise a fairly diverse group of acid-fast, Gram-positive bacteria. The best-known members are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. leprae and M. avium intracellulare (MAI). Others include M. terrae,M- fortuitum and M, smegmatis, whilst of increasing medical concern is M. chelonae (M. chelonei), some strains of which show high resistance to glutaraldehyde [77-79]. Tuberculosis is on the increase and multi-... 

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