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British Red Squirrels Remain the Only Known Wild Rodent Host for Leprosy Bacilli

Schilling, Anna-Katarina; Avanzi, Charlotte; Ulrich, Rainer G.; Busso, Philippe; Pisanu, Benoit; Ferrari, Nicola; Romeo, Claudia; Mazzamuto, Maria Vittoria; McLuckie, Joyce; Shuttleworth, Craig M.; Del-Pozo, Jorge; Lurz, Peter W.W.; Escalante-Fuentes, Wendy G.; Ocampo-Candiani, Jorge; Vera-Cabrera, Lucio; Stevenson, Karen; Chapuis, Jean-Louis; Meredith, Anna L.; Cole, Stewart T.

Authors

Anna-Katarina Schilling

Charlotte Avanzi

Rainer G. Ulrich

Philippe Busso

Benoit Pisanu

Nicola Ferrari

Claudia Romeo

Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto

Joyce McLuckie

Craig M. Shuttleworth

Jorge Del-Pozo

Peter W.W. Lurz

Wendy G. Escalante-Fuentes

Jorge Ocampo-Candiani

Lucio Vera-Cabrera

Karen Stevenson

Jean-Louis Chapuis

Stewart T. Cole



Abstract

Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in the British Isles are the most recently discovered animal reservoir for the leprosy bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Initial data suggest that prevalence of leprosy infection is variable and often low in different squirrel populations. Nothing is known about the presence of leprosy bacilli in other wild squirrel species despite two others (Siberian chipmunk [Tamias sibiricus], and Thirteen-lined ground squirrel [Ictidomys tridecemlineatus]) having been reported to be susceptible to experimental infection with M. leprae. Rats, a food-source in some countries where human leprosy occurs, have been suggested as potential reservoirs for leprosy bacilli, but no evidence supporting this hypothesis is currently available. We screened 301 squirrel samples covering four species [96 Eurasian red squirrels, 67 Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), 35 Siberian chipmunks, and 103 Pallas's squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus)] from Europe and 72 Mexican white-throated woodrats (Neotoma albigula) for the presence of M. leprae and M. lepromatosis using validated PCR protocols. No DNA from leprosy bacilli was detected in any of the samples tested. Given our sample-size, the pathogen should have been detected if the prevalence and/or bacillary load in the populations investigated were similar to those found for British red squirrels.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 14, 2019
Online Publication Date Feb 1, 2019
Publication Date 2019
Deposit Date Apr 22, 2024
Journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Electronic ISSN 2297-1769
Publisher Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Issue 8
DOI https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00008

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