Leprosy in Missouri, USA: Are Armadillos Carrying the Causative Agent Mycobacterium leprae ?

IF 1.2 4区农林科学 Q3 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Journal of Wildlife Diseases Pub Date : 2025-07-28 DOI:10.7589/JWD-D-25-00050

Lynn W Robbins, Jonathan A Dyer, Gillian A Warner, Barbara M Stryjewska, Maria T Pena, Ramanuj Lahiri

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Abstract

The Mexican long-nosed nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus) has continued to expand its range since it was first documented in Texas, US, in the mid-1800s. It dispersed north and east and was found in Missouri, US, starting in the 1980s. This species is known to contract leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Infected armadillos are considered to be a zoonotic source of leprosy in the US. A recent case (2021) of leprosy in a native Missourian who had a history of contacts with armadillos appears to have been locally acquired. However, no data were available on the presence or prevalence of leprosy in wild armadillos from Missouri. We sampled various tissues from 64 armadillos, 39 road killed and 25 hunter killed/culled, from southwestern and central Missouri in summer 2022 to determine the local prevalence of M. leprae. Two animals were PCR positive for M. leprae, providing evidence that this pathogen is moving northward along with the range expansion of Mexican long-nosed armadillos.

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美国密苏里州的麻风病：犰狳是否携带麻风分枝杆菌？

墨西哥长鼻九带犰狳（Dasypus mexicanus）自19世纪中期在美国德克萨斯州首次被记录以来，一直在不断扩大其活动范围。它分散在北部和东部，并于20世纪80年代在美国密苏里州被发现。已知该物种会感染麻风，也称为汉森病，由麻风分枝杆菌引起。在美国，被感染的犰狳被认为是一种人畜共患的麻风病来源。最近的一例（2021年）麻疯病发生在密苏里州一名有犰狳接触史的当地人身上，似乎是当地获得的。然而，没有关于密苏里州野生犰狳中麻风病存在或流行的数据。我们于2022年夏季从密苏里州西南部和中部采集了64只犰狳的各种组织样本，其中39只被公路杀死，25只被猎人杀死/扑杀，以确定麻风分枝杆菌在当地的流行情况。两只动物的麻风分枝杆菌PCR呈阳性，证明该病原体正随着墨西哥长鼻犰狳活动范围的扩大而向北移动。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Wildlife Diseases 农林科学-兽医学

CiteScore

2.70

自引率

0.00%

发文量

213

审稿时长

6-16 weeks

期刊介绍： The JWD publishes reports of wildlife disease investigations, research papers, brief research notes, case and epizootic reports, review articles, and book reviews. The JWD publishes the results of original research and observations dealing with all aspects of infectious, parasitic, toxic, nutritional, physiologic, developmental and neoplastic diseases, environmental contamination, and other factors impinging on the health and survival of free-living or occasionally captive populations of wild animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Papers on zoonoses involving wildlife and on chemical immobilization of wild animals are also published. Manuscripts dealing with surveys and case reports may be published in the Journal provided that they contain significant new information or have significance for better understanding health and disease in wild populations. Authors are encouraged to address the wildlife management implications of their studies, where appropriate.