At Leprosy Mission Australia, we recognise the unique and critical place armadillos, particularly the nine-banded variety, hold in the global mission to understand and eliminate leprosy.
These intriguing creatures, native to South, Central, and North America, have provided invaluable insights into the transmission and progression of this ancient disease, helping researchers make strides towards its eradication.
As we celebrate our 150th anniversary, we honour the armadillo as a symbol of compassion and hope, emblematic of our global effort to combat leprosy.
Why the Armadillo
The nine-banded armadillo is one of the few animals that can contract leprosy and pass it on to humans. This characteristic has made them a focal point for research into the disease.
While armadillos are not found in Australia and keeping them as pets is illegal, they can sometimes be seen in zoos. Their role in leprosy research is primarily observational, and they contribute significantly to our understanding of the disease’s transmission and progression.
The armadillo’s ability to contract and transmit leprosy has provided scientists with a living model to study the disease. This has brought us closer to understanding leprosy in humans and finding ways to eliminate it.
Armadillos, humans and learning about leprosy
The Leprosy Mission Australia does not engage in or fund research on or about armadillos, focusing instead on human-centric solutions and compassionate care for those affected by leprosy. Yet we recognise and honour the armadillo for what the global scientific community has learned from them.
Armadillos have taught humanity a lot about the progression of leprosy. By observing how the bacteria impact these creatures, scientists have gained a deeper understanding of how it might affect humans and how to combat it.
Researchers have studied how the leprosy bacteria affect the armadillo’s nervous system and how the disease progresses within their bodies. Sadly, they have learned that the disease advances more quickly in armadillos than in humans. By observing the disease’s progression in armadillos, scientists have gleaned accelerated insights into its development and potential treatments.
Handling or consuming armadillos can pose a risk of leprosy transmission to humans, although the likelihood is relatively low. This fact underscores the importance of armadillos in leprosy research, as their involvement has deepened our understanding of how the disease can move between species.
Despite the low risk, it’s crucial to recognise armadillos’ role in our understanding of leprosy. Their unique susceptibility to the disease links them closely to the human experience of leprosy, making them a potent symbol of our shared, ongoing fight.
