News Biology 29 June 2018
More than 50% of armadillos carry leprosy
Popular Brazilian bush meat explains high disease rate in the Amazon. Fiona McMillan reports.
New research shows that many armadillos in the Brazilian Amazon carry the bacteria that causes leprosy.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, suggest the disease is likely being transmitted to local humans who use armadillos as a dietary source of protein.
Leprosy, which is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, is a slowly developing chronic disease that if left untreated causes skin lesions as well as nerve damage, leading to muscle atrophy, paralysis and blindness. Recent evidence shows that it infects immune cells in the vicinity of nerve endings. The cells then destroy the protective myelin layer on the nerves and damages the nerve fibres. It is considered an infectious neurodegenerative disease.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/more-than-50-of-armadillos-carry-leprosy