01757nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260003800042653001500080653002600095653001700121653001600138653001500154100001400169700002000183700001800203700001200221245003800233300001000271520124000281020001801521       2023                            d  bSpringer International Publishing10aOne Health10aZoonotic transmission10aAnimal hosts10aEnvironment10areservoirs1 aCollin SM1 aPettan-Brewer C1 aRabinowitz PR1 aDeps PD00aHansen’s Disease and One Health  a65-703 a<p>One Health is the concept that links human health with animal health and the environment. Viable&nbsp;<em>Mycobacterium leprae</em>&nbsp;bacilli have been detected in environmental sources, including in soil and water in countries where Hansen’s disease is endemic. Natural infection of armadillos with&nbsp;<em>M. leprae</em>&nbsp;was first reported in the late 1970s in the USA, where Hansen’s disease is recognized as a zoonosis acquired through direct and indirect contact with wild armadillos. In Brazil,&nbsp;<em>M. leprae</em>&nbsp;infection in wild armadillos was not reported until 2002, with subsequent studies showing that infection is widespread in these animal hosts. Human contact with armadillos through hunting, butchering, cooking, and eating is common in many parts of Brazil, despite laws protecting this endangered animal. Although human-to-human transmission is likely to be the main driver of endemicity, these forms of contact are associated with an increased risk of Hansen’s disease in endemic and non-endemic settings. Zoonotic risk has been neglected by health authorities in Brazil, but the 2021–2030 WHO Global Hansen’s Disease Strategy acknowledges the existence of zoonotic reservoirs.</p>
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