An international team led by researchers at Colorado State University has found that human contact with wild armadillos — including eating the meat — has contributed to extremely high infection rates of a pathogen that can cause leprosy in Pará, Brazil.
There is one thing you need to be careful about Armadillos, they are known to be the primary carriers of the bacteria that causes leprosy. So yeah they are very DANGEROUS! It has been found out that 1 in 6 Armadillos in Texas and Louisiana is carriers of the Leprosy causing bacteria.
One more question we ran across in our research was “Can touching an armadillo give you leprosy?”.
For years, scientists have speculated that armadillos can pass on leprosy to humans, and that they are behind the few dozen cases of the disease that occur in the U., and every year. And in some places, more than 20% of armadillos are infected with leprosy.
Does eating an armadillo lead to leprosy?
To date, around 150-200 Americans have leprosy . Eating the armadillo can cause leprosy, too. Many trappers are hunters are not shy about eating this animal, however, and based on the previous statistics I provided before, you can see why. In any case, keep yourself safe and try not to handle or eat armadillo.
Can armadillos transmit leprosy to people?
This armored and endemic creature has been said to be the main cause of the disease to people who have actually come into contact with it. The armadillos are able to host leprosy bacillus. This creature has been linked to human leprosy cases officially. Therefore, we can say that armadillos can actually transmit leprosy to people.
Do armadillos carry leprosy virus?
Besides humans, nine-banded armadillos are the only animals that can carry M. Leprae, the bacteria that causes leprosy. Several human cases of the disease linked with the pests have been reported in Texas, though these animals have also tested positive for M. Leprae in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Some armadillos, placental mammals with leathery armor, are naturally infected with leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Armadillos are one of the only known animals to carry leprosy, an age-old disease that causes skin and nerve damage.