Biological parallels between Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium "lufu"
Results of long-term studies suggest common biological properties of <i>M.lufu </i>and <i>M.leprae. </i>They allow for the conclusion that in vitro cultured soil-derived saprophytic <i>M.lufu </i>represents an extracorporeal fraction of the population of the leprosy-causing pathogen. It is shown that <i>M.lufu </i>may be used to develop the antileprous vaccine and relevant diagnostic tests. New theoretical concepts of leprosy epidemiology are presented.