Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil.
There is evidence that in southern US, leprosy is a zoonosis infecting wild Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos but the extent of this finding is unknown. This ecological study investigated leprosy in rural communities and in wild armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon. The study area was the Mamiá Lake o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209491 |
| _version_ | 1819260161371406336 |
|---|---|
| author | Mariane Martins Araújo Stefani Patricia Sammarco Rosa Mauricio Barcelos Costa Antônio Pedro Mendes Schetinni Igor Manhães Maria Araci Andrade Pontes Patricia Costa Luciana Raquel Vincenzi Fachin Ida Maria Foschiani Dias Batista Marcos Virmond Emília Pereira Maria Lucia Fernandes Penna Gerson Oliveira Penna |
| author_facet | Mariane Martins Araújo Stefani Patricia Sammarco Rosa Mauricio Barcelos Costa Antônio Pedro Mendes Schetinni Igor Manhães Maria Araci Andrade Pontes Patricia Costa Luciana Raquel Vincenzi Fachin Ida Maria Foschiani Dias Batista Marcos Virmond Emília Pereira Maria Lucia Fernandes Penna Gerson Oliveira Penna |
| author_sort | Mariane Martins Araújo Stefani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is evidence that in southern US, leprosy is a zoonosis infecting wild Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos but the extent of this finding is unknown. This ecological study investigated leprosy in rural communities and in wild armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon. The study area was the Mamiá Lake of Coari municipality, Amazonas State, Northern region, a hyper endemic leprosy area where residents live on subsistence farming, fishing and armadillo hunting and its meat intake are frequent. The leprosy survey was conducted in sixteen communities by a visiting team of specialists. Local partakers provided wild armadillos to investigate M. leprae infection. Volunteers had complete dermato-neurological examination by a dermatologist with expertise in leprosy diagnosis, suspect skin lesions were biopsied for histopathology (Hematoxylin-eosin/HE, Fite-Faraco/FF staining); slit skin smears were collected. Armadillos' tissue fragments (skins, spleens, livers, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, others) were prepared for histopathology (HE/FF) and for M. leprae repetitive element-RLEP-qPCR. Among 176 volunteers, six new indeterminate leprosy cases were identified (incidence = 3.4%). Suspect skin sections and slit skin smears were negative for bacilli. Twelve wild D. novemcinctus were investigated (48 specimens/96 slides) and histopathological features of M. leprae infection were not found, except for one skin presenting unspecific inflammatory infiltrate suggestive of indeterminate leprosy. Possible traumatic neuroma, granuloma with epithelioid and Langhans cells, foreign-body granuloma were also identified. Granulomatous/non-granulomatous dermatitides were periodic-acid-Schiff/PAS negative for fungus. M. leprae-RLEP-qPCR was negative in all armadillos' tissues; no bacillus was found in histopathology. Our survey in rural communities confirmed the high endemicity for leprosy while one armadillo was compatible with paucibacillary M. leprae infection. At least in the highly endemic rural area of Coari, in the Brazilian Amazon region where infectious sources from untreated multibacillary leprosy are abundant, M. leprae infected armadillos may not represent a major source of infection nor a significant public health concern. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:21:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34157d3cb19040d6884d589f54e796b0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:21:30Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-34157d3cb19040d6884d589f54e796b02022-12-21T17:34:09ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01141e020949110.1371/journal.pone.0209491Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil.Mariane Martins Araújo StefaniPatricia Sammarco RosaMauricio Barcelos CostaAntônio Pedro Mendes SchetinniIgor ManhãesMaria Araci Andrade PontesPatricia CostaLuciana Raquel Vincenzi FachinIda Maria Foschiani Dias BatistaMarcos VirmondEmília PereiraMaria Lucia Fernandes PennaGerson Oliveira PennaThere is evidence that in southern US, leprosy is a zoonosis infecting wild Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos but the extent of this finding is unknown. This ecological study investigated leprosy in rural communities and in wild armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon. The study area was the Mamiá Lake of Coari municipality, Amazonas State, Northern region, a hyper endemic leprosy area where residents live on subsistence farming, fishing and armadillo hunting and its meat intake are frequent. The leprosy survey was conducted in sixteen communities by a visiting team of specialists. Local partakers provided wild armadillos to investigate M. leprae infection. Volunteers had complete dermato-neurological examination by a dermatologist with expertise in leprosy diagnosis, suspect skin lesions were biopsied for histopathology (Hematoxylin-eosin/HE, Fite-Faraco/FF staining); slit skin smears were collected. Armadillos' tissue fragments (skins, spleens, livers, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, others) were prepared for histopathology (HE/FF) and for M. leprae repetitive element-RLEP-qPCR. Among 176 volunteers, six new indeterminate leprosy cases were identified (incidence = 3.4%). Suspect skin sections and slit skin smears were negative for bacilli. Twelve wild D. novemcinctus were investigated (48 specimens/96 slides) and histopathological features of M. leprae infection were not found, except for one skin presenting unspecific inflammatory infiltrate suggestive of indeterminate leprosy. Possible traumatic neuroma, granuloma with epithelioid and Langhans cells, foreign-body granuloma were also identified. Granulomatous/non-granulomatous dermatitides were periodic-acid-Schiff/PAS negative for fungus. M. leprae-RLEP-qPCR was negative in all armadillos' tissues; no bacillus was found in histopathology. Our survey in rural communities confirmed the high endemicity for leprosy while one armadillo was compatible with paucibacillary M. leprae infection. At least in the highly endemic rural area of Coari, in the Brazilian Amazon region where infectious sources from untreated multibacillary leprosy are abundant, M. leprae infected armadillos may not represent a major source of infection nor a significant public health concern.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209491 |
| spellingShingle | Mariane Martins Araújo Stefani Patricia Sammarco Rosa Mauricio Barcelos Costa Antônio Pedro Mendes Schetinni Igor Manhães Maria Araci Andrade Pontes Patricia Costa Luciana Raquel Vincenzi Fachin Ida Maria Foschiani Dias Batista Marcos Virmond Emília Pereira Maria Lucia Fernandes Penna Gerson Oliveira Penna Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. PLoS ONE |
| title | Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. |
| title_full | Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. |
| title_fullStr | Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. |
| title_short | Leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from Amazonas state, Northern Brazil. |
| title_sort | leprosy survey among rural communities and wild armadillos from amazonas state northern brazil |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209491 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marianemartinsaraujostefani leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT patriciasammarcorosa leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT mauriciobarceloscosta leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT antoniopedromendesschetinni leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT igormanhaes leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT mariaaraciandradepontes leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT patriciacosta leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT lucianaraquelvincenzifachin leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT idamariafoschianidiasbatista leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT marcosvirmond leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT emiliapereira leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT marialuciafernandespenna leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil AT gersonoliveirapenna leprosysurveyamongruralcommunitiesandwildarmadillosfromamazonasstatenorthernbrazil |