Red squirrels stricken by medieval strain of leprosy, study shows

(University of Edinburgh) Leprosy in Britain's red squirrels is being caused by the same species of bacteria responsible for human infections, a DNA study has found. One of the strains -- affecting squirrels on Brownsea Island, off England's south coast -- shares close similarities with that responsible for outbreaks of the disease in medieval Europe.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news