Maperembudzi kana mapere, ayo anozivikanwawo nokuti Hansen's disease (HD), utachiona hwenguva yakareba hunokonzerwa nebhakiteria Mycobacterium leprae uye Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Pakutanga, hapana zviratidzo zveutachiona uye izvi zvinowanzoramba zvakadaro kwemakore 5 kusvika 20. Zviratidzo zvinozobuda zvinosanganisira kubumba munzvimbo dzemanevhi, munofamba nemhepo yokufema, muganda, uye mumaziso. Izvi zvinogona kuguma munhu asisanzwe kurwadziwa zvoita kuti arasikirwe nemicheto yemuviri pamusana pekuramba achikuvara kana kukanganiswa neutachiona asi iye asinganzwi kuti ava nemaronda. Zvinogona kuitikawo kuti munhu ashaye simba kana kutadza kuona zvakanaka. Maperembudzi anotapuriranwa muvanhu. Zvinodavirwa kuti izvi zvinoitika pakukosora kana pakugunzva mvura dzemumhino yemunhu ane utachiona. Maperembudzi anonyanya kuitika kuvaya vanogara muurombo uye zvinodavirwa kuti anoparadzirwa netumadonhwe twemvura inobuda pakufema. Kusiyana nezvagara zvichifungidzirwa, maperembudzi haasi chirwere chinonyanya kutapukira. Mhando mbiri dzechirwere ichi dzinosiyaniswa nekuwanda kwemabhakiteria anenge aripo: kune mhando yepaucibacillary neyemultibacillary. Mhando mbiri dzacho dzinosiyaniswa nekuti pane makamba mangani eruvara rusina kunyatsonaka, eganda risisanzwi kurwadza, paucibacillary iine mashanu kana mashoma uye multibacillary iine anodarika mashanu. Zvinozonyatsonzi munhu ane chirwere chacho kana ganda rake rikatorwa robva rawanika riine bhakiteriya bhakiteriya rinoramba kuchinjwa ruvara neacid kana kuti atariswa DNA pachishandiswa nzira yepolymerase chain reaction.