Abstract
The diagnosis of leprosy requires demonstration of lepra bacilli. Slit skin smear and stain are helpful in diagnosing multibacillary cases. In paucibacillary cases, where the bacterial load is low and demonstrating lepra bacilli is very difficult, biopsy may be helpful in establishing the diagnosis. Tuberculoid leprosy shows epithelioid granuloma, usually centered on the nerves and the appendages. Lepromatous leprosy is characterized by diffuse infiltration of the dermis with foamy histiocytes laden with plenty of bacilli. The histopathology of histoid leprosy is distinctive, and spindle-shaped histiocytes arranged in bands or whorls are seen.
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Attili, S., Shah, H., Kumar, P. (2022). Microbiological Investigations and Histopathology. In: Pradhan, S., Kumar, P. (eds) Clinical Cases in Leprosy. Clinical Cases in Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08220-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08220-7_3
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