Armadillos spreading leprosy

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I've never even seen an armadillo even in a zoo. And I used to want to see one. Until I read this study..
 
mysteriew said:
I've never even seen an armadillo even in a zoo. And I used to want to see one. Until I read this study..
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I only know them as common road kill in Florida. What the heck were people doing with armadillos that they got close enough to catch a disease?
 
LOL the article said it ranged from handling them, handling their carcasses, working in the dirt they burrowed in, and eating them.

Oh they are also cautioning against buying armadillo suveiners now. Commonly sold in TX.
 
Now that is a sentence I never thought I would see. How random. lol
 
Nova said:
I only know them as common road kill in Florida. What the heck were people doing with armadillos that they got close enough to catch a disease?
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I got to wonder that myself:crazy:

I have never seen one and they are pretty horrid looking things.

Goz
 
Gross!! Those things are almost as ugly as possums. Doesn't surprise me one bit they can carry leprosy.
 
I just saw on the travel or food channel the other day, the guy who eats wierd stuff, eating a armadillo on the grill. yuck. When we lived in Fl. they would come through the yard all the time.
 
Eating armadillos blamed for leprosy in the South
Disease likely spreads when people handle, eat the animals, which carry bacteria for disfiguring disease

By ALICIA CHANG
The Associated Press
updated 4/27/2011 5:25:42 PM ET 2011-04-27T21:25:42
LOS ANGELES — With some genetic sleuthing, scientists have fingered a likely culprit in the spread of leprosy in the southern United States: the nine-banded armadillo.

DNA tests show a match in the leprosy strain between some patients and these prehistoric-looking critters — a connection scientists had suspected but until now couldn't pin down.

"Now we have the link," said James Krahenbuhl, who heads a government leprosy program that led the new study.

more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42788111/ns/health-infectious_diseases/42787858

from the above link/article
While leprosy is infectious, it's hard to catch. Those most at risk are family members who are in constant contact with an untreated person. Leprosy can't be spread through casual contact such as handshaking, or sexual intercourse.
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This worries me a LOT because my mother and my brother both have armadillos in their yard. Many of them. They dig holes and ruin the yard... We were just there at Easter and my kids ran around outside without shoes... :(

I think I'll be more cautious next time. I don't like this one bit.
 
That's odd. You can't get leprosy from shaking hands or sexual intercourse with an infected person. But eating armadillo seems to be a risk, according to the article, even though cooking usually kills most infectious bacteria.

I don't think I understand how leprosy is transmitted.
 
Never saw an armadillo until I saw them as road kill on a trip through Florida, as a kid... my music teacher convinced me that they were actually Fraggles. :|
 
I, being the odd one, always wanted one as a pet. I don't think I ever saw one in real life but the look so cute... Not now.
 
Nova said:
That's odd. You can't get leprosy from shaking hands or sexual intercourse with an infected person. But eating armadillo seems to be a risk, according to the article, even though cooking usually kills most infectious bacteria.

I don't think I understand how leprosy is transmitted.
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Leprosy is not an STD, but what makes you think you can't get it from shaking hands or sexual intercourse? The article says exposure to saliva of infected person can transmit leprosy, so if during sexual contact one is exposed to saliva, then I would say it's wrong that one can not get it during sexual contact. By the way I knew for a long time aramadillos transmit leprosy, that is not new info. Maybe they finally got what they consider "strong evidence" but it certainly was known long before.
 
jjenny said:
Leprosy is not an STD, but what makes you think you can't get it from shaking hands or sexual intercourse? The article says exposure to saliva of infected person can transmit leprosy, so if during sexual contact one is exposed to saliva, then I would say it's wrong that one can not get it during sexual contact. By the way I knew for a long time aramadillos transmit leprosy, that is not new info. Maybe they finally got what they consider "strong evidence" but it certainly was known long before.
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Yes, I knew that, too. I think I had forgotten it or thought it was really unheard of, though, until all the recent news attention. I don't like it - one bit. They are everywhere in rural Georgia where my family (mom/brothers) lives. :no:
 
we are lousy with armadillos here. I live in west central missouri. I had never seen an armadillo until moving here. Ive never seen a live one, just road kill. I think they are suicidal, they only show up a split second before they are under your tires.
 
jjenny said:
Leprosy is not an STD, but what makes you think you can't get it from shaking hands or sexual intercourse? The article says exposure to saliva of infected person can transmit leprosy, so if during sexual contact one is exposed to saliva, then I would say it's wrong that one can not get it during sexual contact. By the way I knew for a long time aramadillos transmit leprosy, that is not new info. Maybe they finally got what they consider "strong evidence" but it certainly was known long before.
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The "can't get it from shaking hands or sexual intercourse" is a direct quote from the article linked in the first post, jenny. I didn't make it up.

I saw that the bacteria was transmitted through saliva, which is why the shaking hands/sex thing confused me.

I don't know how long the bacteria lives once saliva dries; perhaps not long and that's why you aren't likely to get it from shaking hands.

But sexual intercourse? Maybe I've been doing that wrong.
 
Nova said:
The "can't get it from shaking hands or sexual intercourse" is a direct quote from the article linked in the first post, jenny. I didn't make it up.

I saw that the bacteria was transmitted through saliva, which is why the shaking hands/sex thing confused me.

I don't know how long the bacteria lives once saliva dries; perhaps not long and that's why you aren't likely to get it from shaking hands.

But sexual intercourse? Maybe I've been doing that wrong.
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I don't see that in the article. Regardless, I fail to understand how they could claim leprosy can not be transmitted through shaking hands or sexual intercourse, considering the exact mode of transmission is not known.
"The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known. At least until recently, the most widely held belief was that the disease was transmitted by contact between cases of leprosy and healthy persons. More recently the possibility of transmission by the respiratory route is gaining ground. There are also other possibilities such as transmission through insects which cannot be completely ruled out."
http://www.who.int/lep/transmission/en/index.html
 
Sorry, Jenny, the quote wasn't from the first link. It's from paragraph 13 of the link in post #9 by LivLaughLuv:

more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42788111/ns/health-infectious_diseases/42787858

from the above link/article
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You can see why I was confused by a disease that is carried in saliva but not transmitted through sexual intercourse. Maybe they were just trying to say the bacteria isn't present in semen, but if so, they should have said that.
 
mimimama5 said:
we are lousy with armadillos here. I live in west central missouri. I had never seen an armadillo until moving here. Ive never seen a live one, just road kill. I think they are suicidal, they only show up a split second before they are under your tires.
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They're fast? :eek:
 
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