Mouse used in leprosy research

This is a close-up view of a congenitally athymic ('nude') mouse foot pad. The foot pad in the centre has been inoculated with Mycobacterium leprae. The bacilli remain viable and multiply in the foot pad. This animal model has been extensively used in leprosy research. The nude mouse model is more sensitive than slit-skin smears at detecting M. leprae bacilli.