Leprosy as a zoonosis: an update.
Naturally-acquired leprosy has been reported in nine-banded armadillos captured in the southern United States, a chimpanzee from Sierra Leone, and in two "sooty" mangabey monkeys from Nigeria. A significant prevalence of leprosy in wild armadillos establishes this animal as a reservoir of M. leprae, and exposure to armadillos has been implicated as a source of leprosy in humans. Current evidence suggests that leprosy is a zoonosis in certain nonhuman primate species. Control and eradication programs for leprosy should take into consideration the possible influence of extra-human sources of M. leprae, especially zoonotic leprosy.
D000818:Animals; D001135:Armadillos / Q000382:microbiology; D002520:Cercopithecidae / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000635:transmission; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000382:microbiology; D014481:United States; D015047:Zoonoses