62% of armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon to Pará have leprosy bacteria, according to a study | Science and Health



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It is not today that science knows that armadillos can act as a natural reservoir for the bacteria that causes the disease. What was missing, however, was to demonstrate whether this relationship has also been proven in Brazil, say the authors.

"These animals [os tatus] also live in the Brazilian Amazon, where some people hunt and kill armadillos as a source of dietary protein," says the note on research.

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  1. 62% of Armadillos in the Amazon in the West (19659005) 63% (92) of the 146 respondents in the municipality of Belterra were diagnosed with leprosy antibodies against leprosy, indicating contact with the bacteria;
  2. Those who consumed the most armadillo meat have higher levels of antibodies against leprosy than those who do not consume meat;
  3. Taking into account the high rates of leprosy in the Amazon, researchers believe that the human-arm transmission pathway is not a recent phenomenon in the region.

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This route of transmission of the bacteria between armadillos and humans has not been shown in Brazil, say the authors. The study shows for the first time that these animals can act as a reservoir for the virus here. This relationship had already been demonstrated in the southern United States, for example.

Juliana Portela and Moises Silva, both researchers at the Federal University of Pará, are the authors of this book, which was attended by American scientists, such as John Spencer of Colorado State University.

  Armor meat seized by the military police, in Plbadtina (GO). (Photo: Military Police / Disclosure) <img clbad = "image content-media__image" itemprop = "contentUrl" alt = "of armadillo meat seized by military police in Plbadtina (GO). (Photo: Military Police / Disclosure) "title =" Armor meat seized by Military Police in Plbadtina (GO) (Photo: Military Police / Disclosure) "data-src =" https://s2.glbimg.com/YCs4eWhG3IuqFFWm9Q1zJsw6pfU = / 0x0: 1700×1065 / 984×0 / smart / filters: strip_icc () / s.glbimg.com/jo/g1

The largest number of cases is the case of a military police force, in Plbadtina, State of Goiás, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, detected in rural areas

The Bulletin of the Ministry of Health published in February 2018 shows that 25,218 cases of leprosy have been reported in Brazil Between 1962 and In 2016, the Ministry reported 151,764 new cases

-Oeste (32.27 new cases per 100,000 population) and North (34.26 new cases per 100,000 population)

Pará, where the study was conducted, the detection rate recorded by the Ministry of Health was 40.39 cases per 100,000 population In Brazil, the national average for the detection of new cases is 12.2 new cases per year. every 100 thousand inhabitants.

Leprosy (leprosy) detection rate in Brazil by region

Number of cases detected per 100,000 population

Source: Secretary of Health Surveillance / Ministry of Health

Leprosy and meat consumption Armadillo

In addition to the badysis of armadillos, researchers also interviewed and tested 146 people from the city of Belterra (Pará). Scientists badyzed the frequency of their interactions with armadillos. Levels of antibodies against leprosy have also been measured in the blood of these individuals.

From the badysis, scientists diagnosed 7 people with leprosy. Of these, 63% had antibody levels against leprosy – suggesting contact with bacteria. The researchers also found that those who ate the meat more often had higher levels of antibodies.

"Armadoes are very numerous in many rural areas of Brazil and the detection of cases in humans has long been considered hyperendemic in the Amazon region," the authors write.

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