An investigation of the possible role of mosquitoes and bed bugs in the transmission of leprosy

McFadzean, James A.; Macdonald, W. W.

doi:10.1016/0035-9203(61)90057-8

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…[122][123][124] In several studies, leprosy patients were used to test the uptake of leprosy bacilli from lesions. [125][126][127][128][129][130][131] In others, leprous material from patients was used to feed insects. [132][133][134] Insects were also collected from leprosy patient's homes.…”

Section: Potential Vectors (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Reservoirs and transmission routes of leprosy; A systematic review

et al. 2020

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Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) and the more recently discovered Mycobacterium lepromatosis (M. lepromatosis). The two leprosy bacilli cause similar pathologic conditions. They primarily target the skin and the peripheral nervous system. Currently it is considered a Neglected Tropical Disease, being endemic in specific locations within countries of the Americas, Asia, and Africa, while in Europe it is only rarely reported. The reason for a spatial inequality in the prevalence of leprosy in so-called endemic pockets within a country is still largely unexplained. A systematic review was conducted targeting leprosy transmission research data, using PubMed and Scopus as sources. Publications between January 1, 1945 and July 1, 2019 were included. The transmission pathways of M. leprae are not fully understood. Solid evidence exists of an increased risk for individuals living in close contact with leprosy patients, most likely through infectious aerosols, created by coughing and sneezing, but possibly also through direct contact. However, this systematic review underscores that human-to-human transmission is not the only way leprosy can be acquired. The transmission of this disease is probably much more complicated than was thought before. In the Americas, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has been established as another natural host and reservoir of M. leprae. Anthroponotic and zoonotic transmission have both been proposed as modes of contracting the disease, based on data showing identical M. leprae strains shared between humans and armadillos. More recently, in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) with leprosy-like lesions in the British Isles M. leprae and M. lepromatosis DNA was detected. This finding was unexpected, because leprosy is considered a disease of humans (with the exception of the armadillo), and because it was thought that leprosy (and M. leprae) had disappeared from the United Kingdom. Furthermore, animals can be affected by other leprosy-like diseases, caused by pathogens phylogenetically closely related to M. leprae. These mycobacteria have been proposed to be grouped as a M. leprae-complex. We argue that insights from the transmission and reservoirs of members of the M. leprae-complex might be relevant for leprosy research. A better understanding of possible animal or environmental reservoirs is needed, because transmission from such reservoirs may partly explain the steady PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

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Section: Potential Vectors (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Reservoirs and transmission routes of leprosy; A systematic review

et al. 2020

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“…This makes it very likely that the AFB fo und in the insects which had fed on patients were taken up during the fee ding process. McFadzean and Macdonald (1961) allowed mosquitoes and bed-bugs to fe ed on lepromatous leprosy patients with highly positive skin smears and then re-fed the insects on patients with tuberculoid leprosy . On the basis that no microlepromin reaction was produced in the tuberculoid patients, they doubted the ability of these insects to pick up the bacilli from the skin .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arthropod Feed ing Experiments in Lepromatous Leprosy

Narayanan¹,

Manja²,

Bedi³

et al. 1972

Leprosy Review

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Laboratory-reared Culex fa tigans and Cimex hemipterus were fed on untreated lepromatous leprosy patients. The presence of acid-fast bacteria in a high proportion of these insects after feeding showed that they can take up the bacilli from the patients' blood. The dependence of infestation of fed insects on the degree of bacteraemia in patients and the detection in Cimex of bacteria-laden leucocytes suggest that the insects took up the bacilli along with the blood rather than fr om the skin. Results of mouse footpad harvests showed multiplication of My co. leprae, and therefore one must conclude that the leprosy bacilli in the insects were vi able.

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“…Perhaps the approximately 50% of Triatominae species found in Brazil, Linshcosteus (6 species) in India and T. rubrofasciata in Indonesia (Table S1 ) could help leprosy transmission in these three countries with the highest global incidences of the disease. McFadzean and Macdonald evaluated the possible role of mosquitoes and bed bugs in leprosy transmission by allowing infected and control insects to take a blood meal on volunteers and found no difference in transmission (McFadzean and Macdonald, 1961 ). Almost two decades later, the presence of M. leprae was reported in the proboscis, cuticle and blood smears from mosquitoes and ticks (de Souza-Araujo, 1942 ; Banerjee et al, 1991 ), suggesting arthropods could act as biological or mechanical vectors to these bacilli (Kirchheimer, 1976 ; Benchimol and Romero Sa, 2003 ).…”

Section: Microorganisms Transmitted Through Triatomine/man Contact Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Triatomines: Trypanosomatids, Bacteria, and Viruses Potential Vectors?

Vieira

Praça

Bentes

et al. 2018

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Triatominae bugs are the vectors of Chagas disease, a major concern to public health especially in Latin America, where vector-borne Chagas disease has undergone resurgence due mainly to diminished triatomine control in many endemic municipalities. Although the majority of Triatominae species occurs in the Americas, species belonging to the genus Linshcosteus occur in India, and species belonging to the Triatoma rubrofasciata complex have been also identified in Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and in the Western Pacific. Not all of Triatominae species have been found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, but the possibility of establishing vector transmission to areas where Chagas disease was previously non-endemic has increased with global population mobility. Additionally, the worldwide distribution of triatomines is concerning, as they are able to enter in contact and harbor other pathogens, leading us to wonder if they would have competence and capacity to transmit them to humans during the bite or after successful blood feeding, spreading other infectious diseases. In this review, we searched the literature for infectious agents transmitted to humans by Triatominae. There are reports suggesting that triatomines may be competent vectors for pathogens such as Serratia marcescens, Bartonella, and Mycobacterium leprae, and that triatomine infection with other microrganisms may interfere with triatomine-T. cruzi interactions, altering their competence and possibly their capacity to transmit Chagas disease.

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An investigation of the possible role of mosquitoes and bed bugs in the transmission of leprosy

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

Reservoirs and transmission routes of leprosy; A systematic review

Reservoirs and transmission routes of leprosy; A systematic review

Arthropod Feed ing Experiments in Lepromatous Leprosy

Triatomines: Trypanosomatids, Bacteria, and Viruses Potential Vectors?

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