Mycobacterium leprae in Armadillo Tissues from Museum Collections, United States

We examined armadillos from museum collections in the United States using molecular assays to detect leprosy-causing bacilli. We found Mycobacterium leprae bacilli in samples from the United States, Bolivia, and Paraguay; prevalence was 14.8% in nine-banded armadillos. US isolates belonged to subtype 3I-2, suggesting long-term circulation of this genotype.PMID:36823763 | DOI:10.3201/eid2903.221636

Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases - February 24, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Daniel Romero-Alvarez Daniel Garzon-Chavez Mary Jackson Charlotte Avanzi A Townsend Peterson Source Type: research