01896nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002000055653001200075653001500087653001100102653001200113653001600125653000900141653001900150653001800169653002500187653001000212653001400222100001400236700001400250700001300264700001700277700001500294700001400309700001500323700001700338700001300355700001400368245011400382300001000496490000700506520098300513022001401496       1983                            d  c1983 Aug10aAnimal Diseases10aAnimals10aArmadillos10aFemale10aleprosy10aLymph Nodes10aMale10aMass Screening10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium leprae10aTexas10aXenarthra1 aSmith J H1 aFolse D S1 aLong E G1 aChristie J D1 aCrouse D T1 aTewes M E1 aGatson A M1 aEhrhardt R L1 aFile S K1 aKelly M T00aLeprosy in wild armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) of the Texas Gulf Coast: epidemiology and mycobacteriology.  a75-880 v343 a<p>A significant prevalence of leprosy has been demonstrated in wild Louisiana armadillos. The Texas Gulf Coast still has endemic human leprosy, and recent mores in Texas have markedly increased armadillo-human contact. Armadillos were screened by physical examination, and by ear-snip and slit-scrape technique. Animals that screened "positive" were sacrificed and necropsied under aseptic conditions. Liver, spleen, gross lesions, and four groups of lymph nodes were cultured for mycobacteria and were studied histologically. Base ratios and DNA homology with Mycobacterium leprae were determined on mycobacteria from two armadillos (and two tissues from one of these); these studies indicate that the organism found in Texas armadillos is M leprae. Twenty-one of the armadillos were leprous--4.66%. The local prevalence varied from 1.0% to 15.4%. Epidemiologic implications of these findings and the occurrence of other concomitant mycobacterial infections are discussed.</p>  a0033-6890