Recently i was asked to work in partnerships with a former student 'Becky Jones' and complete a project based on the subject 'Leprosy' also known as 'Hansen's Disease'.
During our research we found that the Bacterium M.Leprae is the cause of Leprosy and was discovered 1873 by the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, who at the time was searching for the bacteria in the skin nodules of patients suffering from leprosy.
Under Optical microscopy M. leprae is shown in clumps, rounded masses, or in groups of bacilli side by side. Ranging from 1-8 μm in length and 0.2-0.5 μm in diameter. (see image below - shown at 200px)
Leprosy is a disease that affects an individuals skin and nerves.
Pale patches on the skin is usually the first tell tale sign of an individual suffering from the illness.
In the past, nerve damage and other complications occurred as the disease progressed. The numbness and lack of feeling in the limbs often led to festering wounds on the hands and feet, and then to the characteristic deformities of the face and limbs. In many communities this led to stigma towards those affected and their families, causing them to be shunned and even excluded from everyday life and many placed in Leper colonies.
Fortunately, antibiotics can now quickly kill the bacteria that cause leprosy, so the disease can be completely cured with a few months of treatment, when the illness is caught too late and the effects of Leprosy cannot be reversed and the person remains with some disability, there are many different strategies of rehabilitation to help them live as normal a life as possible.
Leprosy is spread like the common cold via contact or respiration droplets (cough and sneezes).
It is still common in poorer parts of countries such as India and Brazil due to hygiene but is moderately under control.
Leprosy is not an immeadiate cause of death but can lead to death with open wounds and lack of mobility or medical care.
Below are a few images to show the effects of Leprosy:
Disfigurment
During the assignment i feel me and Becky worked very well together, completed the task in hand to date and provided all relevant information needed throughout. i would work with Becky again in the future because i feel we completed our work to a high standard.
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