Leprosy is one of the three oldest chronic infectious diseases ever recorded. Leprosy, syphilis, and tuberculosis have been tied to the entire human race since the beginning of the human species' ability to record history.

But unlike tuberculosis and syphilis, leprosy is very contagious. Normal people are generally not infected with this chronic infectious disease unless they have been in close contact with an untreated leper or have been exposed to armadillos infected with Mycobacterium leprae.

The horror of leprosy lies primarily in its disabling nature – because the leprosy bacillus constantly causes skin lesions and peripheral nerve damage, which can slow or even disappear pain and sensation in the limbs. As a result, many people with advanced leprosy are completely unconscious in their limbs, resulting in constant limb damage during daily activities, and eventually severe injuries and disability. Even if you are very careful and do not have any limb damage, leprosy itself can cause serious consequences such as disfigurement.

"Leprosy?" Doctor Jiang thought for a moment, then nodded slowly, "Indeed...... It's possible. ”

Mycobacterium leprae infection can cause a positive reaction to tuberculosis antibodies, and BCG vaccination can provide some leprosy immunity to the general population. They are even more clinically related than biological classifications – there is a group of immunocompetent patients with leprosy who exhibit the "tuberculous type", and it is not without tuberculosis that skin lesions are the primary symptom.

Both leprosy and tuberculosis require long-term treatment. In general, patients with low-bacterial (PB) leprosy require at least six months of combination therapy. In the case of multibacterial leprosy (MB), one year of continuous combination antibiotic therapy is required. Tuberculosis also takes 6~12 months to cure.

Moreover, there is a high degree of overlap between the treatment regimens of the two sides, and the main recommended treatment regimen for leprosy is the combination of three antibiotics with different mechanisms of action: dapsone (DDS), rifampicin (RFP) and clofazimine (B633).

Dapsone can be used in conjunction with rifampicin, the first-line drug for tuberculosis, and clofazimine, the mainstay for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

In a way, Dr. Kang was right from the start – Kaoru Kobayashi should be treated in the same way that tuberculosis is treated.

"I'm going to take a skin sample right now. "Dr. Jiang has not seen leprosy patients, but the incidence of leprosy in China is getting lower and lower, and it is rare to see early patients who have just been infected. This also made Dr. Jiang relax his vigilance against this disease, and if it weren't for Sun Lien's reminder, he would probably never have thought about it.

Sun Lien nodded, and he pushed his diagnosis aside, and there was no problem with the process and logic. The trouble now is to find the cause of Kaoru Kobayashi's infection, as well as to test and intervene in Lin Lan - she is not necessarily infected with leprosy, but living with Kaoru Kobayashi, she faces more than five times the risk of infection.

Thinking of this, Sun Lien reluctantly walked towards the ward. This pair of bitter mandarin ducks just turned around from the line of life and death a year ago, and now they are facing this kind of ...... Threat. Even Sun Lien felt sorry for them. It was as if God was staring at the couple, testing their relationship again and again with the worst jokes.

However, Sun Lien is quite confident in the relationship between the couple. Kaoru Kobayashi's concern for Lin Lan is definitely genuine - at least Sun Lien doesn't think that other people will worry about bleeding from their ear canal due to excessive changes in blood pressure when they think of their wife undergoing surgery. In order to save his wife's life first, Kaoru Kobayashi has been suffering from a slight concussion and a fractured temporal bone, and has persisted until she has paid for her treatment.

·

·

·

"Okay, I got it. Lin Lan nodded lightly after listening to Sun Lien's diagnosis. She walked over and continued to stroke her husband's hair. After touching it twice, he asked, "If the treatment is started, when will he stop being so uncomfortable?"

"It's not certain that it's leprosy. Sun Lien replied cautiously, and kept observing Lin Lan's state with the status bar. "This will not be known until the results of the biopsy are available. ”

"If it is determined that it is leprosy, then we can be sure that his current symptoms are due to a leprosy reaction. "The leprosy reaction is the result of his own immune system fighting pathogens, and ...... can be controlled by immunosuppressants."

That is, as long as it is certain that he is a leper, there is a way to make him ...... Does it make him feel better?" Lin Lan lowered her head and thought about it, then gently touched Kobayashi Kaoru's hair, "Although it's not good to say that...... But if only you did get leprosy. She smiled slightly, but she didn't see any nervousness or fear, "In that case, the doctor will be able to make you feel better." ”

"Although leprosy is not very contagious, you also have to be as careful as possible and reduce your contact with him. Sun Lien said in a low voice, "We will also take blood tests from you later, if you are not infected by him, you can prevent infection by oral rifapentine." ”

"There's no rush on this. Lin Lan said seriously, "He's so uncomfortable now...... Let's figure out Kobayashi's problem first. ”

·

·

·

"It can be diagnosed. Dr. Jiang took the coffee and shook the biopsy report in his hand to Sun Lien, "I took a skin tissue test from his right thigh, and the slices can see that there are foamy cells and lymphocytes involved in the local nerves." ”

Sun Lien stretched, "What about the number of bacteria?" This is a key question, if the number of bacteria is small, then Kaoru Kobayashi can be treated for half a year.

"At the moment, it's 6+. Dr. Jiang reported a not-so-good result, "You look at the examination report, if there is no other opinion, I am ready to give him a U-MDT treatment plan." ”

"The examination is fine, and the diagnosis can be confirmed. Sun Lien quickly swept aside and checked the report. According to the report, Mycobacterium leprosy was clearly detected under the microscope. "But...... Let's give him thalidomide to control the leprosy reaction, right?"

Kaoru Kobayashi's high fever does not go away, which is an obvious leprosy reaction. At the same time, Sun Lien breathed a sigh of relief - Kaoru Kobayashi did not have any immune system problems, and if he had an autoimmune disease, he would not have such a serious leprosy reaction.

"No problem. "Dr. Jiang is now obedient to Sun Lien. "Then I'll go to the doctor first—the crew members also need to be treated preventatively. ”

Sun Lien nodded, and the rest of the crew could be regarded as having close contact with Kaoru Kobayashi. They are also at risk of becoming infected. After the meeting began to treat Kaoru Kobayashi, he planned to ask Lin Lan to go to the ship to notify the crew, test all the crew members, and then distribute enough medicine for prevention.

"What are you hiding here?" Liu Tangchun suddenly appeared in the laboratory, still holding his maritime satellite phone in his hand, "That old Xiaolin from Takeda Pharmaceutical called you everywhere, and he called me." You call him back. Liu Tangchun glared at Sun Lien with some dissatisfaction, "What's the situation with his son?"

Sun Lien nodded, took out his maritime satellite phone and prepared to dial, and said as he dialed, "It's confirmed, it's leprosy." ”