Probable Zoonotic Leprosy in the Southern United States

2011362 citationsJournal Articlebronze Open Access

Authors

Richard W. Truman · National Hansen's Disease Program

Pushpendra Singh · École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Rahul Sharma · Health Resources and Services Administration

Philippe Busso · École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Jacques Rougemont · École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Alberto Paniz‐Mondolfi · Hospital Vargas

Adamandia Kapopoulou

Abstract

Wild armadillos and many patients with leprosy in the southern United States are infected with the same strain of M. leprae. Armadillos are a large natural reservoir for M. leprae, and leprosy may be a zoonosis in the region. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others.).

Topics & Keywords

Leprosy Research and Treatment Mycobacterium research and diagnosis Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Zero hunger

Publication Details

Published in: New England Journal of Medicine

Volume 364, Issue 17, pp. 1626-1633

DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa1010536

Field-Weighted Citation Impact: 14.80