Red squirrels in the British Isles are infected with leprosy bacilli

Abstract

British squirrels infected with leprosy With the exception of armadillos in the Americas, leprosy infections are considered almost exclusively restricted to humans. Avanzi et al. examined warty growths on the faces and extremities of red squirrels in the British Isles and found that two species of leprosy-causing organisms were to blame (see the Perspective by Stinear and Brosch). Mycobacterium leprae in the southern population of Brownsea Island squirrels originated from a medieval human strain. M. lepromatosis was found in red squirrels from elsewhere in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Human leprosy is proving hard to eradicate, despite available drugs. Perhaps other wildlife species are also reservoirs for this stubborn disease. Science , this issue p. 744 ; see also p. 702

Lepra‐Erreger in britischen Eichhörnchen

“…Im Jahr 2016 ergaben sich zwei weitere Aspekte: Auch in Irland wurde M. lepromatosis festgestellt und auf der Insel Brownsea im Süden von Großbritannien ergaben genetische und histopathologische Untersuchungen zusätzlich den Nachweis von M. leprae , also der anderen, schon lange bekannten menschlichen Form der Lepra. Interessanterweise könnten zu diesem Ergebnis archäologische Funde passen: Die jüngst nachgewiesenen Erreger sind eng mit einer mittelalterlichen Form verwandt, die in Knochenüberresten von Menschen gefunden wurde, die vor 730 Jahren im 70 Kilometer entfernten Winchester begraben wurden .…”

Lack of evidence for the presence of leprosy bacilli in red squirrels from North‐West Europe

“…Mycobacterium leprae and M. lepromatosis can cause leprosy‐like disease in several animal hosts, including nine‐banded armadillos (Truman et al, ), red squirrels (Avanzi et al, ) and non‐human primates (Honap et al, ).…”

First report of dermatophilosis in wild European red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris)

“…In red squirrels, the infection produces signs characterised by severe pustular dermatitis typically with the presence of Staphylococcus species. In the absence of SQPV, red squirrels are also found with an exudative ulcerative dermatitis associated with Staphylococcus aureus , the histopathological lesions sharing some clinical similarities with SQPV lesions2 and skin lesions due to Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis infection 3. Cutaneous wart-like lesions have also been described affecting the pinnae and digits 4…”