Mycobacterium leprae qPCR detection kit (real-time PCR kit for the RLEP gene region)

Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, is an obligate intracellular pathogen that cannot be cultured axenically, complicating its detection and viability assessment. For highly sensitive and specific molecular detection, the Repetitive Element of M. leprae (RLEP) is routinely targeted. RLEP is a non-coding, species-specific, multicopy DNA sequence dispersed throughout the M. leprae genome, present in approximately 37 copies per bacterial chromosome. Due to its high copy number and exclusivity to M. leprae, PCR amplification of the RLEP region provides a powerful tool for confirming the presence of the bacterium in clinical samples, even at low bacillary loads, though it does not distinguish between live and dead organisms.