Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is caused by the acid-fast bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy is transmitted by human-to-human contact, although zoonotic transmission has been described, and contact with the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a risk factor for development of leprosy.1-4 Cases 1 and 2 in this case series show zoonotic transmission from armadillos. An additional source of M leprae infection may be soil or land contaminated by leprosy-infected armadillos.3,5,6 Cases 3 and 4 support this potential mode of transmission.
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Domozych et al. (2016) studied this question.
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