IAGNOSIS OF Mycobacterium leprae IN ARMADILLOS (Dasypus novemcinctus) AND THE CORRELATION WITH WATER SOURCE PROXIMITY IN RIVE COUNTY, ESPÍRITO SANTO STATE-BRAZIL

Abstract

Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) have been for long time recognized as reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae. The human beings are the main reservoir for leprosy, and water and soil also have been recognized as a non-human leprosy reservoir. The water sources are considered to associate with the armadillos habitats. The main objective of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the water source and M. leprae infection of wild armadillos, using the ELISA test, ArcGIS 9.0 program and statistical analysis. The majority of armadillos that were close to water source were negatives for the ELISA test. After statistical analysis, the study not found correlation with infected armadillos and proximity to water source.