Posted on 04/27/2011 3:53:11 PM PDT by decimon
WASHINGTON (AFP) A strain of leprosy found in armadillos has been identified in dozens of people in the southern United States, indicating the skin disease can be transmitted directly from animals to humans.
The findings are the first to confirm a long-suspected link between the disease in armadillos and humans, but are not a sign that a new epidemic is underway, researchers said.
Rather, the report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the disease, most often found in India, can originate in the United States and infect humans who hunt armadillo and butcher the meat.
"I'm sure it is not new. I am sure it has been there for really quite some period of time. It does not change the risk," lead study author Richard Truman of Louisiana State University told AFP.
"What we are really doing right now is being able to recognize and prove it does occur."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I suspect that any such eager market is a small market.
“Hoover hogs.”
It's odd, because while I was there, there were photos from a leprosarium in Hawaii, and that triggered long buried memories of my aunt, a retired Army nurse, who had talked about visiting the Hawaiian leprosarium when I was a little kid. After visiting I tried to find more stuff online to read about it, but it's a phenomenon for which there is very, very little info available out there.
Really bad news for your team NYT...
>> “WHO eats armadillo meat?” <<
.
People that eat Texas Chili.
Armadillos have a survival mechanism where when the see a shadow spread over them they jump as high as they can. This works for hawks but not so good when you try to straddle them on the roadway. Little known fact.
This has been an accepted wives tale for as long as I can remember.
Nothing new, move along, oh and have one for me. ;)
Look up Father Damien (Now St. Damien) of Kalaupapa on Molokai. This may be what you aunt talked about.
From the tone of the posts here, I think the concept of a Leper Colony is joining polio in the history books. Good place for them.
“They tear up your lawn at night and seem to be attracted to highways.”
LOL!
SSS works real well around my neck of the woods. They never make it to the highways.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.