What Is the Link Between Armadillos and Leprosy?

Armadillo (pronounced qiú yú), also known as "armor rat". Armadillo is an endangered species living in tropical forests, grasslands, semi-deserts and warm flatlands and forests in Central and South America. The armadillo family has a total of 9 genera and 21 species (1 genera and 1 species are extinct), including naked-tailed armadillos. Genus, Genus Armadillo, Genus Armadillo, Genus Armadillo, Armadillo, Six-band Armadillo, Large Armadillo, Three-band Armadillo, Small Armadillo

Armadillo, a small mammal, with

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Most breeds of armadillos live in holes during the day and come out at night to find food, they eat

They can breed at any time of the year, and they give birth to four.

The armadillo family is

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Armadillo is a rare animal unique to South and Central America. It mainly inhabits woods,

For a long time, leprosy was considered by the medical community to spread only among humans. And at the end of April 2011, American researchers

Armadillo picture appreciation (5 photos)

The first leprosy patient in the United States may have been infected by armadillo.

Richard Truman, director of microbiology at the National Leprosy Program, said: "There is ample evidence that humans have been affected by leprosy through this animal." Academic reports have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine Truman is the main creator of the thesis.

Every year, approximately 100 to 150 people are diagnosed with leprosy in the United States. Although many people have been to countries where leprosy is endemic, it is not known where they are infected.

Most patients are in Texas and Louisiana, both of which are also areas where armadillos carrying leprosy bacteria are found. "We can provide a link between the two," Truman said.

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a close relative of tuberculosis-causing bacteria. Usually, the skin of leprosy patients is damaged; in severe cases, the nerves or limbs of the patient are damaged.

For many years, research on Mycobacterium leprae has been difficult. For various reasons, it has raged around the world and it is difficult to distinguish. The bacteria can't grow in laboratory petri dishes.

Leprosy has a one-year incubation period and its onset is very slow. In fact, leprosy is difficult to spread. Currently only 5% of humans have been infected, and even they usually need to be repeatedly exposed to Mycobacterium leprosy in close proximity before they eventually get sick. In the past, leprosy patients were isolated and lived in groups in leprosy villages. Dr. James Klehenb, director of the National Leprosy Program, said that with a combination of three antibiotics, leprosy can be completely cured. He said that there are about 3,600 leprosy patients in the United States, and their lives are worry-free.

Armadillo

A long time ago, scientists discovered that, besides humans, armadillos are the only known natural hosts of Mycobacterium leprae in the world. This small mammal has exactly the same disease as humans, and eventually dies from kidney and liver damage. Unlike humans, they are more susceptible to leprosy: more than 20% of armadillos are affected in parts of the southern United States.

Confirming armadillo transmission of leprosy to humans requires strong genetic analysis. At the same time, this is also based on the accumulated data accumulated in the past ten years, and a comparative analysis of the similarity and difference of Mycobacterium leprae genes collected from all over the world.

Scientists have discovered that leprosy originated in East Africa or the Near East (the eastern coast of the Mediterranean) as humans migrated to Europe; and nearly 500 years into Africa and the Americas.