RESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades del Simio Antropoideo , Lepra/veterinaria , Pan troglodytes , África Occidental , Animales , Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/sangre , Antígenos Bacterianos/inmunología , Biomarcadores/sangre , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Glucolípidos/inmunología , Lepra/microbiología , Lepra/patología , Lepra/transmisión , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , ZoonosisRESUMEN
The length of the incubation period of leprosy following Mycobacterium leprae infection has never been conclusively determined, owing to the lack of a method to demonstrate the presence of an asymptomatic infection. We report a rare case of leprosy in a chimpanzee in which a 30-year incubation period was strongly suggested by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis.