Prevalence of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis in roadkill armadillos in Brazil

• Published in: Acta tropica 2024-10, Vol.258, p.107333, Article 107333
• Main Authors: Monsalve-Lara, J, Drummond, M, Romero-Alvarez, D, Velho, PENF, Jiménez-García, D, Marques, R, Peterson, AT, Angerami, RN, Silva, DP, Donalisio, MR
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Armadillos - microbiology; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Cabassous tatouay; Dasypodidae; Dasypus novemcinctus; DNA; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; ears; Leprosy; Leprosy - epidemiology; Leprosy - microbiology; liver; muscles; Mycobacterium - classification; Mycobacterium - genetics; Mycobacterium - isolation & purification; Mycobacterium leprae; Mycobacterium leprae - genetics; Mycobacterium leprae - isolation & purification; Mycobacterium lepromatosis; nose; pathogens; Prevalence; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; road kills; species; spleen; tail; Zoonosis
• ISSN: 0001-706X; 1873-6254; 1873-6254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107333

•Four species of armadillos belonging to all regions of Brazil presented Mycobacterium leprae DNA in molecular tests: (Dasypus novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Cabassous tatouay, and Dasypus septemcinctus).•In Brazil the Southeast region had the highest prevalence of infection of M. leprae 52.9 % among tissues collected from the armadillos.•D. Novemcinctus is the most common armadillo species in Brazil, with the highest prevalence of infection of M. leprae 56 %.•Spleen and liver tissues of armadillos presented the highest prevalence of M. leprae DNA.•Mycobacterium lepromatosis still has not been detected in Brazilian armadillos. To evaluate the prevalence of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis in road killed armadillos identified along Brazilian regions, samples of liver, spleen, muscle, ear, nose and tail were collected on highways from 78 animals. The armadillos were of four different species, Cabassous tatouay, Dasypus novemcinctus, Dasypus septemcinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus. After DNA extraction from two tissues, specific primers were used for the detection of each pathogen using SYBR green qualitative Real-Time PCR, and amplicons were sequenced. The species with the highest prevalence was D. novemcinctus, mainly in the Central-West, South, and Southeast regions of Brazil. We detected M. leprae DNA in 32 (41 %) of the 78 individuals and M. lepromatosis DNA was not identified in any of the examined samples. The zoonotic component of leprosy may play a role in the transmission of the disease in endemic areas in which environmental conditions and contact with reservoirs must be investigated. [Display omitted]