Silence on the plate: revisiting the enigma of <i>Mycobacterium leprae</i> cultivation.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Mycobacterium leprae remains uncultivable in axenic media, a constraint that continues to hamper leprosy research. As research animals, such as mice or armadillos, are the only reproducible method of sustained laboratory growth, this is restricted to a few specialized laboratories. The development of axenic media would increase access to this field.

Methods

We performed a descriptive bibliographic review (May 2025) across PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library using both controlled vocabulary and free terms related to M. leprae cultivation. After de-duplication and screening, 78 studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results

Historically, claims of in vitro growth on egg-based or synthetic media have proven irreproducible or wer

SUBMITTER: Gotor-Rivera A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12708612 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature