1. [Leprosy in a chimpanzee].
- Author
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Ishii N, Udono T, Fujisawa M, Idani G, Tanigawa K, Miyamura T, and Suzuki K
- Subjects
- Africa, Western, Animals, Antibodies, Bacterial blood, Antigens, Bacterial immunology, Biomarkers blood, Diagnosis, Differential, Glycolipids immunology, Leprosy microbiology, Leprosy pathology, Leprosy transmission, Mycobacterium leprae genetics, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Zoonoses, Ape Diseases, Leprosy veterinary, Pan troglodytes
- Abstract
Leprosy is suspected to develop after a long period of latency following infection with Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) during infancy, but definitive proof has been lacking. We found a rare case of leprosy in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) born in West Africa (Sierra Leone) and brought to Japan around 2 years of age. At 31, the ape started exhibiting pathognomic signs of leprosy. Pathological diagnosis, skin smear, serum anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) antibody, and by PCR analysis demonstrated lepromatous leprosy. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis verified the West African origin of the bacilli. This occurrence suggests the possibility of leprosy being endemic among wild chimpanzees in West Africa, potentially posing a zoonotic risk.
- Published
- 2011