LAUSR

The causative agents of leprosy are Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. M. lepromatosis was found in 2008 to cause diffuse lepromatous leprosy in Mexican patients. The objective of this work was to identify M. leprae and M. lepromatosis in paraffin-embedded skin samples from Caribbean leprosy patients. A total of 6 skin samples were obtained from the Dominican Republic. All cases presented the multibacillary form; 5 cases were nodular lepromatous leprosy, and 1 case was borderline lepromatous leprosy. All patients received multidrug therapy. Molecular identification was achieved using the M. leprae-specific repetitive element (RLEP) for M. leprae and the hemN gene for M. lepromatosis. Mycobacterium leprae was identified in two lepromatous leprosy cases and 1 borderline lepromatous leprosy case; M. lepromatosis was found in 1 nodular lepromatous leprosy case. Both Mycobacterium species were present in two nodular lepromatous leprosy cases. This is the first report of M. lepromatosis in the Dominican Republic.