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Volume 29, Number 3—March 2023
Dispatch

Mycobacterium leprae in Armadillo Tissues from Museum Collections, United States

Daniel Romero-AlvarezComments to Author , Daniel Garzon-Chavez, Mary Jackson, Charlotte Avanzi, and A. Townsend Peterson
Author affiliations: Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador (D. Romero-Alvarez); University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA (D. Romero-Alvarez, A.T. Peterson); Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador (D. Garzon-Chavez); Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (M. Jackson, C. Avanzi)

Main Article

Table 1

Characteristics of armadillo tissues from US museum collections examined for Mycobacterium leprae and M. lepromatosis*

Category No. (%) animals No. (%) positive for M. leprae
Species
Dasypus novemcinctus 122 (76.7) 18 (100)
Tolypeutes matacus 20 (12.6) 0
Cabassous unicinctus 5 (3.1) 0
Chaetophractus vellerosus 3 (1.9) 0
Zaedypus pichiy 3 (1.9) 0
Chaetophractus villosus 2 (1.3) 0
Cabassous tatouay 1 (0.6) 0
Chaetophractus sp. 1 (0.6) 0
Euphractus sexcinctus 1 (0.6) 0
Priodontes maximus 1 (0.6) 0
Total
159 (100)
18 (100)
Sex
M 72 (45.3) 4 (22.2)
F 71 (44.7) 12 (66.7)
Unknown† 16 (10.1) 0
Total
159 (100)
18 (100)
Tissues tested
Liver 66 (41.5) 2 (11.1)
Muscle 37 (23.3) 13 (72.2)
Spleen 31 (19.5) 3 (16.7)
Unknown 16 (10.1) 0
Lysate 4 (2.5) 0
Heart and kidney 2 (1.3) 0
Kidney 2 (1.3) 0
Heart 1 (0.6) 0
Total
159 (100)
18 (100)
Preservation method
Frozen 77 (48.4) 4 (22.2)
Ethanol 95% 55 (34.6) 13 (72.2)
Ethanol 70% 17 (10.7) 0
DMSO 9 (5.7) 1 (5.6)
Ethanol 90% 1 (0.6) 0
Total
159 (100)
18 (100)
DNA concentration, ng/µL
Mean 19 15.63
SD 27.3 12.2
Range
0.0041–218
0.0041–43
Country of origin
United States 109 (68.6) 16 (88.9)
Paraguay 24 (15.1) 1 (5.6)
Argentina 10 (6.3) 0
Bolivia 7(4.4) 1 (5.6)
Peru 3 (1.9) 0
Brazil 2 (1.3) 0
Unknown 2 (1.3) 0
Costa Rica 1 (0.6) 0
Panama 1 (0.6) 0
Total 159 (100) 18 (100)

*All samples tested negative for M. lepromatosis. DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide. †Unknown indicates no data were available.

Main Article

Page created: January 12, 2023
Page updated: February 20, 2023
Page reviewed: February 20, 2023
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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