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The 1997 case definition appearing on this page was previously published in the 1990 MMWR Recommendations and Reports titled Case Definitions for Public Health Surveillance [MMWR 1990;39(RR13)] (available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00025629.htm). Thus, the 1990 and 1997 versions of the case definition are identical.
A chronic bacterial disease characterized by the involvement primarily of skin as well as peripheral nerves and the mucosa of the upper airway. Clinical forms of Hansen's disease represent a spectrum reflecting the cellular immune response to Mycobacterium leprae. The following characteristics are typical of the major forms of the disease:
Demonstration of acid-fast bacilli in skin or dermal nerve, obtained from the full-thickness skin biopsy of a lepromatous lesion
Confirmed: a clinically compatible case that is laboratory confirmed
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