Attesting to its importance, mutations in NRAMP1 impair the resistance of mice to infections with intracellular pathogens such as Salmonella, Leishmania, and Mycobacterium (Govoni and Gros, 1998), and susceptibility to leprosy is linked to the human NRAMP1 gene (Abel et al., 1998). This evidence concerns the gene SLC11A1 and leprosy.