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A new study suggests a startling connection between an armored animal and an infectious "biblical" disease.
According to National Geographic, of the 20 species of armadillo -- Spanish for "little armored one" -- all but one live in Latin America. But the nine-banded armadillo makes its home across about a dozen states in the South -- often becoming roadkill (or "hillbilly speed bumps") as a result of their tendency to wander in front of cars.
About 20 percent of wild American armadillos are infected with leprosy.
These funny-looking creatures seem harmless enough, but a groundbreaking study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals they may be spreading a new strain of leprosy to susceptible humans here in the states.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 150-250 people are diagnosed with leprosy in the U.S. each year. Of those patients, an estimated 30 to 40 cases occur in U.S.-born Americans who've never traveled to countries where the disease is prominent.
Interestingly enough, most of the people in that group live in Texas and Lousiana -- states where armadillos are often hunted, skinned and eaten.
Federal researchers used DNA testing to take a closer look at leprosy strain samples found in infected humans and armadillos from several southern states. They found that the majority of those samples, both human and animal, contained an identical, never-before-seen strain. Simply stated: it's likely that about a third of those diagnosed with leprosy in the U.S. each year probably got the disease by handling or eating armadillo.
150-250 people are diagnosed with leprosy in the U.S. each year.
According to HRSA, leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, causes large, painful sores on the skin and can cause nerve damage in the arms and legs -- sometimes leading to loss of feeling in the skin and muscle weakness. If diagnosed early, it can be effectively treated by antibiotics.
According to the Associated Press, about 20 percent of wild American armadillos are infected with the disease. Aside from humans, armadillos are the only other known natural hosts of leprosy bacteria, so they are often used in leprosy research.
These findings are significant for many reasons, the main one being that until now, it was largely believed that leprosy could only be passed from human to human.
For those who've recently paid a visit to the armadillo habitat at their local zoo: scientists say, don't panic. Scientific American reports about 95 percent of us are naturally immune, so the average American's chance of contracting the disease is extremely slim.
Just stick to chicken or steak at your Memorial Day barbecue.
Email: jrogers@ksl.com
