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Case Reports
. 2019 Jun 10;32(3):431-432.
doi: 10.1080/08998280.2019.1616520. eCollection 2019 Jul.

Intrapartum leprosy

Madeline Smoot  1 , Randy Volkmer  1 , Casey Roth  2 , Brandon Cornelius  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Intrapartum leprosy

Madeline Smoot et al. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). .

Abstract

Leprosy is caused by an infection with Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast, slow-growing, obligate intracellular rod-shaped bacillus. Intrapartum leprosy most commonly occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy. This is likely due to pregnancy decreasing cellular immunity, thus allowing the organism to proliferate unchecked. This case report reviews the current understanding of intrapartum leprosy and details the hospital course of a patient who presented with active intrapartum leprosy at 32 weeks gestation.

Keywords: Intrapartum leprosy; lepromatous leprosy; systemic lupus erythematosus; transplacental transmission.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Acid-fast bacilli staining: (a) positive in the patient’s arm lesion and (b) negative in the placenta.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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