A patient presents with hypopigmented plaques and thickened peripheral nerves. Skin slit smear shows acid-fast bacilli. The organism cannot be cultured on artificial media. Which animal model is the standard for in vivo propagation of this organism?
- A Guinea pig footpad
- B Rabbit testes
- C Mouse footpad ✓
- D Nine-banded armadillo
Correct answer: C. Mouse footpad
Explanation
Mycobacterium leprae cannot be grown in artificial culture. The mouse footpad inoculation is the standard in vivo model for propagation and drug susceptibility testing. The nine-banded armadillo is used for bulk propagation, but the mouse footpad is the standard diagnostic model.
Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.