01618nas a2200193   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002700054653003800081653001500119653002000134653001200154100001600166700001200182245010400194856006300298520104900361022001401410       2021                            d  c03/202110a
Mycobacterium leprae
10abacterial < infectious diseases10abiomarkers10aimmune response10aleprosy1 avan Hooij A1 aGeluk A00aIn search of biomarkers for leprosy by unraveling the host immune response to Mycobacterium leprae.  uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imr.129663 a<p>Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, is still actively transmitted in endemic areas reflected by the fairly stable number of new cases detected each year. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of leprosy is challenging, especially at an early stage. Improved diagnostic tools, based on sensitive and specific biomarkers, that facilitate diagnosis of leprosy are therefore urgently needed. In this review, we address the challenges that leprosy biomarker research is facing by reviewing cell types reported to be involved in host immunity to M leprae. These cell types can be associated with different possible fates of M leprae infection being either protective immunity, or pathogenic immune responses inducing nerve damage. Unraveling these responses will facilitate the search for biomarkers. Implications for further studies to disentangle the complex interplay between host responses that lead to leprosy disease are discussed, providing leads for the identification of new biomarkers to improve leprosy diagnostics.</p>  a1600-065X