Autochthonous leprosy in the eastern United States is from international migration, not from armadillos

Rendini, Tina; Levis, William R.

doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2017.04.015

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…About 60%–75% of new cases seen in the USA occur in immigrants, especially those from the Federated States of Micronesia or Marshall Islands, or in people who have close contact with these immigrants 6–8 10. This is thought to be the main form of leprosy transmission in areas such as New York City with high numbers of immigrants and international travellers but no armadillo exposure 11 12. In the last 20 years, the largest number of new leprosy cases has been reported in the Gulf Coast states 4 6 8.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chronic arthritis along with recurrent fever are also presenting symptoms in some leprosy patients. These can also be seen with lupus erythaematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and antiphospholipid syndrome but these symptoms usually abate with treatment for the underlying M. leprae infection 4 12 15. In tuberculoid leprosy, the patient often has a small number of hypopigmented lesions that are characterised by well-defined borders, possible numbness in lesions and alopecia in older lesions 2 15.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Cutaneous leprosy in Central Florida man with significant armadillo exposure

Logas¹,

Holloway²

2019

BMJ Case Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Leprosy is a chronic infectious, granulomatous disease caused by the intracellular bacillus Mycobacterium leprae that infects macrophages and Schwann cells. While relatively rare in the USA, there is about 200 new cases of leprosy every year with the majority occurring in the southern parts of the country. It is believed to be linked to the region of the nine-banned armadillo in patients with no significant travel history outside of the country. In this case report, we encountered a 58-year-old Central Florida man that had extensive exposure to armadillos and presented with the typical symptoms of large erythaematous patches, numbness and peripheral nerve hypertrophy. Once diagnosed properly, patients are then reported to the National Hansen’s Centre who provides the multidrug therapy for 12–24 months. Due to its rarity and its ability to mimic other more common ailments, leprosy should be included in the differential diagnosis in patients that have significant exposure to armadillos, live in the southern part of the country or have recently travelled to countries that have a high prevalence of leprosy.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%