The mycobacterium responsible for leprosy also has the ability to make the liver grow without fibrosis and cancerous tumors, according to an animal study! This disease-causing bacteria may be a clue to the development of new treatments.
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Leprosy is an infectious disease that seems to belong to another era but is still a major public health problem in Africa, Asia, and South America. These three regions account for the majority of the 200,000 cases reported each year. Although leprosy has virtually disappeared in the United States, there are still about 150 to 250 cases diagnosed every year.
The bacterium responsible for leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, causes impressive damage to the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, which can disfigure patients and leave them scarred for life. But this bacterium also has the amazing ability to promote liver growth, according to a recent study conducted at the University of Edinburgh.
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The researchers infected 45 armadillos, which are the natural reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae, and analyzed the size of their livers. Surprisingly, the size of the organ was larger in the infected animals than in the uninfected ones, while they maintained a normal anatomical structure with blood vessels and ducts connecting the liver to the gallbladder in the right place.
“If we can identify how the bacterium causes the liver to grow and remain functional without causing side effects in living animals, we may be able to use this knowledge to develop safer treatments to rejuvenate aging livers and regenerate damaged tissue,” says Anura Rambukkana, a cell biologist at the University of Edinburgh.
Mycobacterium leprae is an intracellular bacterium that avoids antibodies. Inside the cell, it diverts part of its metabolism to its own needs. The researchers hypothesize that in the case of hepatocytes, the bacterium may put them in a metabolic state comparable to that of stem cells, which allows the liver to grow. This is an unexpected discovery that scientists will certainly investigate further.
Read also: The Health of Our Brain Depends Highly on the Health of Our Heart, Liver, and Gut
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Ancient disease has potential to regenerate livers
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