Diagnosis of Mycobacterium leprae in free-living animals in a hyperendemic area in Brazil.

Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) is a globally distributed intracellular pathogen that causes human leprosy. For many years, M. leprae has been considered a human-only pathogen. However, the discovery of infected armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) has led to studies into its presence in animals. Many questions regarding leprosy remain unanswered, such as the epidemiological role of the environment and animals in maintaining of the disease. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify M. leprae in wild animals in Brazil. Samples from 105 wild animals of different species were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction of the RLEP region to detect M. leprae in biological samples. M. leprae was detected in 13 samples (12.3 %) from animals in the orders Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Cingulata, Pilosa, Primates and Rodentia. Eight samples were sequenced and they had 100 % identity to microorganisms of the same species. This study identified different species of wild animals infected with M. leprae in a region hyperendemic for leprosy, demonstrating that these animals may play important roles in the epidemiology and in maintaining the disease.