Background:

The high levels of recent transmission of leprosy worldwide demonstratethe necessity of epidemiologic surveillance to understand and control its dissemina-tion. Brazil remains the second in number of cases around the world, indicating activetransmission of Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) in the population. At this moment,there is a consensus that the bacillus is transmitted by inter-human contact, however,different serologic, molecular, and histopathological approaches indicate the exist-ence of non-human transmission sources.

Methods and Results:

The qPCR assay was used to amplify the molecular targets16S RNAr and RLEP, in samples of liver, spleen, and ear of wild animals belonging toDidelphimorphia and Rodentia orders, in highly endemic areas of Mato Grosso, Brazil.The RLEP repetitive sequence was positive in 202 (89.0%) samples, with 96 (42.3%) ofthese also being positive for the 16S gene. Regarding the collection sites, it was observedthat the animals were found in areas profoundly deforested, close to urban areas.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that wild animals can play an important role in themaintenance of M. leprae in endemic regions with major anthropic action in Brazil.Therefore, integrating human, animal, and environmental health care with the OneHealth initiative is highly efficient for the development of effective strategies to con-tain and control leprosy in Brazil.(AU)