title: Mycobacterium leprae in six-banded (Euphractus sexcinctus) and nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in Northeast Brazil.
abstract: Human beings are the main reservoir of the causative agent of leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae. In the Americas, nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) also act as a reservoir for the bacillus. In the state of Ceará (CE), which is located in Northeast Brazil and is an endemic area of leprosy, there are several species of armadillos, including D. novemcinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus (six-banded armadillo). Contact between humans and armadillos occur mainly through hunting, cleaning, preparing, cooking and eating. This study identified M. leprae DNA in the two main species of armadillos found in Northeast Brazil. A total of 29 wild armadillos (27 D. novemcinctus and 2 E. sexcinctus) were captured in different environments of CE countryside. Samples from the ear, nose, liver and spleen from each of these animals were tested by a nested M. leprae-specific repetitive element polymerase chain reaction assay. The samples that tested positive were confirmed by DNA sequencing. M. leprae was detected in 21% (6/29) of the animals, including five D. novemcinctus and one E. sexcinctus. This is the first Brazilian study to identify the presence of a biomarker of M. leprae in wild armadillos (D. novemcinctus and E. sexcinctus) in a leprosy hyperendemic area where there is continuous contact between humans and armadillos.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil. cristianefrota71@gmail.com
authors.forename: Cristiane Cunha
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Frota
authors.forename: Luana Nepomuceno Costa
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Adalgiza da Silva
authors.initials: Ada S
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Philip Noel
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Suffys
authors.forename: Benedito Neilson
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Rolim
authors.forename: Laura Cunha
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Maurício Lima
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: Ligia Regina Sansigolo
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Kerr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001135:Armadillos / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial