Mycobacterium leprae had been demonstrated tropism towards the nevus cells, which
same believe was due to its neural origin. By them, the nevus cells were noted to be
receptive to M. leprae contrast to the cells of the epidermis and surrounding areas and
M. leprae contrast were showed preference for the middle and deep dermis, which is
agreement with the histogenic theories which attribute their neural origin to the
nevocyte.
Authors studied 77 leprosy patients (27 lepromatous, 27 borderline and 23 tuberculoid
leprosy) for demonstration of M. leprae in nevocellular nevi comparing with nevi of
normal appealed skin and leprous lesions of leprosy patients but M. leprae were
demonstrated only from 7 neuocellular nevi of multibacillary leprous lesions of
lepromatous and Lepromatous-borderline leprosy. No M. leprae was found in any
nevocellular nevi of normal appearing skin of lepromatous, lepromatous-borderline and
tuberculoid leprosy.
The number of nevocellular nevi in leprosy patients were slight increased than those
of normal individuals and vitiligo patients. And were some differences in number of
nevocellular nevi between the lepromatous, borderline and tuberculoid leprosy; decreased
in lepromatous type and increased in tuberculoid type. If there were some relation
between the number of nevocellular nevi and host immunity, it may devote to the
classification of leprosy.
|