title: Mycobacterium lepraemurium
text: # Mycobacterium lepraemurium
  
  Mycobacterium lepraemurium is a causative agent of feline leprosy. It causes granulomatous lesions, characteristic of the Mycobacterium genus.
  
  ## Description
  
  Gram-positive, nonmotile and strongly acid-fast rods (3-5 µm long). Slightly rounded ends.
  
  Colony characteristics
  
  * Rough nonchromogenic colonies.
  
  Physiology
  
  * Growth on inspissated 1% egg yolk medium at 30 °C - 37 °C within 4–5 weeks (using large inocula, confined to a concentrated area of the medium, egg white is inhibitory).
  
  ## Pathogenesis
  
  * Cause of endemic disease of rats in various parts of the world, as well as feline leprosy.
  * feline leprosy is transmitted by bites from rats and other cats.
  * Disease occurs mainly in the skin and lymph nodes, causing induration, alopecia and eventual ulceration.
  * Nodular lesions, involving subcutaneous tissues, may be solitary or multiple and usually confined to the head region or the limbs. Nodules are fleshy and freely movable.
  * Surgical excision of the lesions is the preferred treatment.
  * Only the densely and uniformly stained forms appear to be infectious for animals, in contrast to the degenerate unevenly stained forms.
  * Biosafety level 2
  
  ## Type strain
  
  None specified due to difficulties in cultivation.
  
  