Anandaban Hospital and Mycobacterial Research Laboratory (MRL)

Leprosy Mailing List, June 29th, 2008

Ref.: Anandaban Hospital and Mycobacterial Research Laboratory (MRL)
From: Hagge D. A., Kathmandu, Nepal


Dear Dr. Noto,

I would be glad to provide some general information about our laboratory and hospital.

Anandaban Hospital and Mycobacterial Research Laboratory (MRL) lie 16km south of Kathmandu, Nepal. MRL is uniquely equipped within Nepal with facilities and trained staff near an international airport to allow for partnership in technical and international collaborations. The nonprofit mission hospital is the largest leprosy specific hospital in Nepal and is operated by Leprosy Mission Nepal. It serves as the referral center for the central region, operates weekly clinics in Kathmandu and is involved in providing mobile leprosy camp/clinics, community projects and training onsite and in the field.

MRL projects have included early detection methods (skin antigen, T cell and lateral flow test trials); transmission studies (VNTR; PCR); drug resistance monitoring (Shepard model mouse foot pad colony); treatment of reactions (methylprednisone study); and biomarkers of reactions. There are also 50 years of patient records onsite for analysis. National collaborations facilitate extended control and patient sample collection, technical training and leprosy education within Nepal. Clinical and social research is also performed within the hospital.

When Dr. Murdo Macdonald recently returned to Scotland, I joined as head of the laboratory. Previously, I had performed my doctoral training with Diana L. Williams, PhD (Molecular Biology) and postdoctoral training with Linda B. Adams, PhD (Immunology) of the National Hansen’s Disease Program located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

Recent MRL publications:

Misch EA, Macdonald M, Ranjit C, Sapkota BR, Wells RD, Siddiqui MR, Kaplan G, Hawn TR.
Human TLR1 Deficiency Is Associated with Impaired Mycobacterial Signaling and Protection from Leprosy Reversal Reaction.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2008 May 7;2(5):e231.
PMID: 18461142 [PubMed - in process]

Sapkota BR, Ranjit C, Neupane KD, Macdonald M.
Development and evaluation of a novel multiple-primer PCR amplification refractory mutation system for the rapid detection of mutations conferring rifampicin resistance in codon 425 of the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium leprae.
J Med Microbiol. 2008 Feb;57(Pt 2):179-84.
PMID: 18201983 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sapkota BR, Ranjit C, Macdonald M.
Rapid differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae from sputum by polymerase chain reaction.
Nepal Med Coll J. 2007 Mar;9(1):12-6.
PMID: 17593671 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sapkota BR, Ranjit C, Macdonald M.
Reverse line probe assay for the rapid detection of rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium leprae.
Nepal Med Coll J. 2006 Jun;8(2):122-7.
PMID: 17017404

Haslett PA, Roche P, Butlin CR, Macdonald M, Shrestha N, Manandhar R, Lemaster J, Hawksworth R, Shah M, Lubinsky AS, Albert M, Worley J, Kaplan G.
Effective treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum with thalidomide is associated with immune stimulation.
J Infect Dis. 2005 Dec 15;192(12):2045-53. Epub 2005 Nov 10.
PMID: 16288366 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Deanna A. Hagge, PhD
Head of Mycobacterial Research Laboratories
Anandaban Hospital
PO Box 151
Kathmandu, Nepal
977-1-429-0545
977-1-429-0538 (fax)
deannah@tlmnepal.org
www.tlmnepal.org