LEPROSY IN WILD ARMADILLOS (DASYPUS NOVEMCINCTUS) OF THE TEXAS GULF-COAST - EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MYCOBACTERIOLOGY

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 34  (2) , 75-88
Abstract
A significant prevalence of leprosy has been demonstrated in wild Louisiana armadillos. The Texas Gulf Coast still has endemic human leprosy, and recent mores in Texas have markedly increased armadillo-human contact. Armadillos were screened by physical examination, and by ear-snip and slit-scrape technique. Animals that screened positive were sacrificed and necropsied under aseptic conditions. Liver, spleen, gross lesions and 4 groups of lymph nodes were cultured for mycobacteria and were studied histologically. Base ratios and DNA homology with Mycobacterium leprae were determined on mycobacteria from 2 armadillos (and 2 tissues from 1 of these); these studies indicate that the organism found in Texas armadillos is M. leprae. Twenty-one of the armadillos were leprous, 4.66%. The local prevalence varied from 1.0% to 15.4%. Epidemiologic implications of these findings and the occurrence of other concomitant mycobacterial infections are discussed.

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