01449nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001100001800042700001200060700001700072245006400089856009100153300000800244490000700252520101800259022001401277       2019                            d1 aOliveira IVPM1 aDeps PD1 aAntunes JMAP00aArmadillos and leprosy: from infection to biological model.  uhttp://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652019005000403&tlng=en  ae440 v613 a<p>Mycobacterium leprae is the primary causative agent of Hansen's disease or leprosy. Besides human beings, natural infection has been described in animals such as mangabey monkeys and armadillos. Leprosy is considered a global health problem and its complete pathogenesis is still unknown. As M. leprae does not grow in artificial media, armadillos have become the primary experimental model for leprosy, mimicking human disease including involvement of the peripheral nervous system. Leprosy transmission occurs through continuous and close contact of susceptible people with untreated infected people. However, unknown leprosy contact has been reported in leprosy-affected people, and contact with armadillos is a risk factor for leprosy. In the USA, leprosy is considered a zoonosis and this classification has recently been accepted in Brazil. This review presents information regarding the role of wild armadillos as a source of M. leprae for human infections, as well as the pathogenesis of leprosy.</p>
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