Borderline tuberculoid leprosy in a woman from the state of Georgia with armadillo exposure.
In the southern and southeastern United States, the 9-banded armadillo is an important reservoir for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy (Hansen's disease). Here, we describe a woman living in Georgia with borderline tuberculoid leprosy who worked for many years in a garden where armadillos burrowed or were buried. There was no history of foreign travel or known exposure to a person with leprosy. Treatment with 6 once-monthly combined doses of rifampin, ofloxacin, and minocycline was successful.
Lane
Joshua E
JE
Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia 31217, USA. joshua.lane@lycos.com
Walsh
Douglas S
DS
Meyers
Wayne M
WM
Klassen-Fischer
Mary K
MK
Kent
David E
DE
Cohen
David J
DJ
D000818:Animals; D001135:Armadillos; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D015441:Leprosy, Tuberculoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission*; D008875:Middle Aged