Indigenous Cases Of Leprosy Found In The Southern United States: Human Contamination Through Contact With Armadillos

[Moontanman]

Indigenous Cases of Leprosy Found in the Southern United States: Human Contamination Through Contact With Armadillos

 

An armadillo in the Southern United States. Armadillos are the only other known carriers of leprosy bacilli, but cross-species contamination remains rare. (Credit: Heidi and Hans-Jürgen Koch/heidihanskoch.com)

 

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2011) — Using advanced DNA analysis and extensive field work, an international research team has confirmed the link between leprosy infection in Americans and direct contact with armadillos. In a joint collaboration between the Global Health Institute at EPFL in Switzerland and Louisiana State University, clear evidence was found that a never-before-seen strain of Mycobacterium leprae has emerged in the Southern United States and that it is transmitted through contact with armadillos carrying the disease. The results will be published on April 28th in the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110427171459.htm