Biological parallels between Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium "lufu"
Results of long-term studies suggest common biological properties of M.lufu and M.leprae. They allow for the conclusion that in vitro cultured soil-derived saprophytic M.lufu represents an extracorporeal fraction of the population of the leprosy-causing pathogen. It is shown that M.lufu may be used to develop the antileprous vaccine and relevant diagnostic tests. New theoretical concepts of leprosy epidemiology are presented.