Leprosy lurks in armadillos in Brazil’s Amazon

The South American country has the world’s second-highest number of cases of the disease

nine-banded armadillo

ARMADILLO INFECTION  Nine-banded armadillos (one shown) may help spread leprosy to people in Brazil.

USFWS

Brazilians who hunt or eat armadillos are at a higher risk of catching leprosy than people who don’t interact with the animals, a new study finds.