Abstract: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Humoral immunity and cellular immunity play a role in the pathogenesis of leprosy. Serological tests and cytokines produced by T-helper-2 (Th2) cell are mainly applied to the diagnosis of multibacillary leprosy while Th1-based tests are mainly applied to detect paucibacillary leprosy. Furthermore, microRNAs can distinguish between lepromatous leprosy and tuberculoid leprosy. However, which biomarker is more effective remains controversy due to their different sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, the detection of serum antibodies, cytokines and microRNAs and their clinical applications are reviewed in order to provide a basis for the optimization of a new method for the early diagnosis of leprosy.

Key words: leprosy, serological antibody, cytokine, microRNA