Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by a bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae.
麻风是由一种细菌，即麻风分枝杆菌引起的慢性疾病。
2
In the 1960s, M. leprae started to develop resistance to dapsone, the world’s only known anti-leprosy drug at that time.
在1960年代，麻风杆菌开始对世界上当时唯一已知的抗麻风药物氨苯砜形成抗药性。
3
Serology aimed at M leprae-specific phenolic glycolipidantibodies and polymerase chain reaction may also be used but fail to reliablydetect early disease.