Abstract
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease of the skin and peripheral nerves caused by Mycobacterium leprae. This bacillus is an obligate intracellular parasite with tropism for Schwann cells and macrophages, whose optimal growth occurs at 27ºC - 30ºC. Based on clinical and histopathological characteristics, leprosy can be classified in two polar forms (tuberculoid and lepromatous), beyond b…