Nine-banded armadillos are a common sight across the southern US.
You’ll find them digging in flower beds and underneath your porch. Sometimes, unfortunately, they unsuccessfully attempt to cross a busy road.
They are, for the most part, harmless. But experts say the adorable armored creatures may be the culprit behind a rising number of cases of an ancient disease.
Well, “ancient” is only partly true — it is a 4,000-year-old disease. But leprosy, AKA Hansen’s Disease, infects as many as 200,000 around the world today.
In the US, there are several hundred cases a year and cases are climbing. And Florida has some of the highest rates of infection in the country, with 17 so far this year.
Cases have been steadily climbing, too: Florida had just 8 cases in 2022, 23 in 2023, 20 in 2024, and 26 last year. Central Florida appears to be a hot spot for cases, with 40 of the 74 cases reported from 2019 to 2022 (55%) in Brevard County, WJXT4 reports.
What is leprosy?
This disease is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It grows slowly, so it could take someone infected up to 20 years to develop symptoms.
The bacteria affects the skin and nerves. People may develop thick areas of skin and ulcers and lose eyebrow hairs or eyelashes. It also causes numbness and paralysis, particularly in the hands and feet. It could also lead to blindness.
The shunning of people with the disease (as you might read in the Bible, where leprosy appears 68 times) is an outdated but pervasive association.
Leprosy does not easily spread between people. Around 95% of people have a natural immunity to it, and it requires prolonged exposure to spread.
Also, it is very curable. People who contract it will get a regimen of antibiotics, and they’re no longer contagious after the first dose.
Why is Florida a leprosy hot spot?
Armadillos are natural carriers of the bacteria that causes Hansen’s Disease.
They’re prevalent across southern states like Texas and Louisiana, but have been moving north for a few hundred years. Some experts believe they’ve moved as far north as Massachusetts.
They love warm, wet climates and dig in soil to get their meals, often bugs and snails. The animals are also often in their burrows resting and raising their young.
It’s in the dirt scientists believe this Mycobacterium leprae bacteria is transferring to humans, who might be handling that soil to garden or care for their home.
“Where the armadillo eats, lives, and reproduces, everything could affect the chance of a human being exposed to leprosy. That’s because the bacteria that causes leprosy can remain for a while in the soil,” said Juan Manuel Campos Krauer, an assistant professor at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
How to protect yourself
Most people in the US get infected in another country where leprosy is more common, like Brazil, India, and Indonesia, according to the CDC. These countries report more than 10,000 new cases a year.
And it’s important to note that Hansen’s Disease is still very rare here, with at most 250 cases a year.
Still, don’t touch armadillos. And if you’re working in the soil, experts recommend wearing gloves and being conscious of contamination.
There’s also the question of roadkill. Several experts have raised the possibility that bacteria spreads when an armadillo dies on the road.
One doctor in Mississippi told Science he’d recommend washing the car if you hit one.
