01384nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002500054653002100079653002000100653001300120653001300133100001300146700001400159700002100173700001300194700001300207245010900220520082300329022001401152       2024                            d  c05/202410aMycobacterium leprae10aInvasive species10arange expansion10aroadkill10aSerology1 aTurner C1 aLoughry W1 aPerez-Heydrich C1 aWilson T1 aGaudin T00aSeroprevalence of Leprosy in Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) from Tennessee, USA, 2021-22.3 a<p>The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is currently considered an invasive species in parts of its range in the US, and this range continues to expand to the north and east. Nine-banded armadillos are one of a handful of mammals known to contract leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease); range expansion thus leads to public health concerns about whether this might increase human exposure to infected animals. We collected blood samples from 61 road-killed armadillos over two summers (2021 and 2022) in Tennessee, a US state near the northern extreme of the species' current range, and screened them for exposure to Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. All animals were seronegative, providing no evidence that range expansion is increasing the distribution of leprosy in the US.</p>
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