Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) are naturally infected with Mycobacterium leprae and are implicated in the zoonotic transmission of leprosy in the United States. In Mexico, the existence of such a reservoir remains to be characterized. We describe a wild armadillo infected by M. leprae in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico.
Keywords: Dasypus novemcinctus; Hansen disease; Mexico; Mycobacterium leprae; Nuevo León; leprosy; nine-banded armadillo; tuberculosis and other mycobacteria; whole-genome sequencing; zoonoses.