Project Paranoia: Leprosy

Leprosy is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae.  According to PubMed, it is relatively difficult to contract and has a very long incubation period, which means it is difficult to identify the where the bacteria originated.

Careful! Do not touch.

On another, equally interesting note, it looks like nine-banded armadillos may be spreading leprosy to humans.  It is the only other known animal to harbor leprosy.  Richard Truman, a microbiologist at the Na­tional Hansen’s Dis­ease Pro­gram and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and his colleagues found that many cases of leprosy in the south are the same strain seen in the armadillos.  Also, all the people who had contracted leprosy had been in contact with armadillos recently.  Interesting…  I think the lesson here is don’t go touchin’ no armadillos!

Skin lesions

Now, back to the disease.  This is a disease that has been describes as far back as the Bible.  Symptoms include the classic skin lesions, numbness, and muscle weakness.  Many different antibiotics can be used to treat the bacteria and early detection is key.  With early detection, doctors can usually stop the spread of the bacteria and you can live a relatively normal life.  If if is not caught in time, it can cause permanent disfigurement and nerve damage.

Overall, it is a terribly disease with an even more terrible history.  Today, it is readily treated in first-world countries, but can be a real problem in third-world countries.  It can leave terrible scars and lesions, which, in the past, has caused others to shun people infected with leprosy.  This led to the start of leper colonies.