Spitting Armadillos Spread Leprosy in Florida - Daily Beast
Nine cases of the disease have been reported thus far in 2015—almost double the usual state rate, which sees an average of 10 diagnoses per year—with the most recent victim citing exposure to the New World mammals. While best known as an affliction rife during biblical times, it is now most common in Southern states including Texas and Louisiana. “It’s a surprise to most people that leprosy is still in the United States,” says Dr. Leisha Nolen, an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s rare…but it would be tragic if they miss it. ”. Leprosy is caused by mycobacterium laprae, a slow-growing bacillus, and can be transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth of people with severe, untreated cases of the disease. “Most people think you can’t do anything about it, but leprosy is a disease that’s treatable with antibiotics,” Dr. Nolen explains. The first connections between the disease and armadillos were established in a 2011 paper entitled “Problematic Zoonotic Leprosy in the Southern United States. ” Genome resequencing of three U. S. patients with leprosy and a nine-banded armadillo found the infective strains to be almost identical, proving that zoonosis—diseases that can be passed from animals to humans—was at play. Source: www.thedailybeast.com
