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Yes, an Armadillo Can Give You Leprosy

Posted by timothy on from the wear-a-saddle-every-time dept.

sciencehabit writes "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 US every year. Now, they have evidence. A genetic study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that US armadillos and human patients share what seems to be a unique strain of the bacterium that causes leprosy. If an armadillo's blood 'got on my tires of my car from running [the animal] over, I would wash it down,' advises one expert. 'And I would not dig in soil that has a lot of armadillo excrement.'"

14 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Leprosy can be cured. by Dr.Bob,DC · · Score: 3, Funny


    I've never run across a patient with leprosy but in The Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, I read about a person in Texas who went to her Chirporactor with leprosy sores. The Doctor performed some excellent manipulations which got the patient's nervous system in tip-top shape to battle the infection.

    After intense treatments the leprosy was GONE.

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    Chiropractic Saves Lives!
    1. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by dkleinsc · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's just one problem with curing leprosy: bloody do-gooders.

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      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    2. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by turkeyfeathers · · Score: 5, Funny

      Correlation does not imply causation. It could be that the patient took some effective homeopathic medicines after seeing her Chiropractor and that's what cured the leprosy.

    3. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by Mojofreem · · Score: 5, Informative

      Leprosy is caused by a bacterial infection, and is easily cured with common antibiotics.

    4. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by snowgirl · · Score: 4, Informative

      Mod parent up. Leprosy is no longer an issue. Antibiotics FTW.

      Not only this but leprosy is like the bitch version of a bacterial infection. Most of the time, you have to be predisposed to being able to acquire it anyways (or immunocompromised, but that's true with any bacteria/fungus/virus). It's basically somewhere around 10% of the population that can actually acquire leprosy... everyone else could pretty much walk hand in hand with a leper and never catch a thing.

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      WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
    5. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've never run across a patient with leprosy

      Well, if you do, remember the advice from the article - wash your tires It's called "getting rid of the evidence.".

      And if you;re in the US, run them over a few times to make sure they're really dead, and not just faking it. Your insurance rates won't go up as much if they have to pay for a funeral instead of 50 years of medical expenses.

      If an armadillo's blood 'got on my tires of my car from running [the animal] over, I would wash it down,' advises one expert. 'And I would not dig in soil that has a lot of armadillo excrement.'"

      So, someone needs an expert to tell them not to play in poop? Don't mothers teach their kids not to play with the "clay" in the sandbox any more?

    6. Re:Leprosy can be cured. by tomhudson · · Score: 3, Interesting

      everyone else could pretty much walk hand in hand with a leper and never catch a thing.

      ... one good sneeze and they can catch all sorts of flying body parts ...

      Seriously, "only" 10% are at risk? 10% is HUGE!

      And on the not-so-serious side ...

      Q. Why do lepers make such lousy poker players?
      A. They have to quit after they've thrown in their hands.

      Q. What's small and green and sheds it's skin?
      A. A leper-chaun.

      Q. What do you call 10 lepers in a hot tub?
      A. Oatmeal.

      Thank you, thank you ... try the fish.

  2. Re:Letterman... by swanzilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    +1 introspective

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    0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
  3. Re:Blood on the tires? by boristdog · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's it, I'm not going to check the tire pressure with my mouth any more.

  4. Hellfire by aapold · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Damn you Lord Foul! Must you corrupt these beautiful creatures and turn them into servants of despite?

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    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
    1. Re:Hellfire by lordfoul · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorry, my bad

  5. Cool! We've never had a chiropractic troll before by spun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Welcome to Slashdot, and thanks for bringing something new and original to the art of trolling! When I saw your recent chiropractic trolls, I thought you might be a flash in the pan, but now I see you are here for an extended stay. Thanks for bringing some levity into my otherwise boring day.

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    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  6. Re:Cool! We've never had a chiropractic troll befo by Mindcontrolled · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Slashdot is one of the more rational and skeptical sites on the Internet.

    Have you any idea how much it scares me that this is true?

    --
    Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
  7. Re:Blood on the tires? by plover · · Score: 3, Informative

    >He's never had to change a tire in his life where he didn't have washing facilities. Or even change a tire from the looks of the message.

    I don't know about you, but when I have to change a tire, it's never in a convenient place where I can wash up. It's always out in the middle of nowhere.

    Couple this with the incredible number of times we all touch our faces per hour unconsciously, and yep, you've got a vector.

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    BMO

    On several occasions that I can remember when I've had to change a tire on the road, I've banged up my knuckles on something or other while loosening the lug nuts, or cut myself on some sharp bit of metal while raising the vehicle with the jack. There's reason enough to not want to have known pathogens hanging around your fenders.

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    John