Leprosy remains a persistent public health challenge, primarily transmitted human-to-human via respiratory droplets. However, in the tropical Americas, increasing evidence suggests that armadillos serve as zoonotic reservoirs, particularly through direct contact during hunting and handling. While such transmission was previously considered rare and localized, this study provides a spatial analysis of the role of armadillo hunting in leprosy transmission, quantifying its impact on disease prevalence and identifying geographic hotspots for targeted interventions. Using Brazil’s 326,001 reported leprosy cases (2013–2022), researchers applied a pathogeographical approach to study transmission dynamics. The dataset includes 554 hunted armadillos from 175 municipalities and M. leprae prevalence data from 376 armadillo individuals across 97 municipalities, revealing a mean infection rate of 38.5%. Spatial models were developed to assess hunting-related infection risk, integrating socioeconomic, climatic, and environmental factors into a generalized linear model to determine their effects on human leprosy prevalence. Armadillo hunting appears to have a greater role in human leprosy transmission than previously recognized. These findings emphasize the need for wildlife-associated transmission pathways to be incorporated into disease reduction strategies, particularly in tropical regions affected by environmental change and poverty.
Tag: geographical distribution
The imperata grasslands of tropical Asia: area, distribution and typology.
The rehabilitation or intensified use of Imperata grasslands will require a much better understanding of their area, distribution, and characteristics. We generated estimates of the area of Imperata grasslands in tropical Asia, and suggested a typology of Imperata grasslands that may be useful to define the pathways toward appropriate land use intensification. We conclude that the area of Imperata grasslands in Asia is about 35 million ha. This about 4% of the total land area. The countries with the largest area of Imperata grasslands are Indonesia (8.5 million ha) and India (8.0 million ha). Those with the largest proportion of their surface area covered with Imperata are Sri Lanka (23%), the Philippines (17%), and Vietnam (9%). Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Bangladesh evidently all have similar proportions of their land area infested with Imperata (about 3 to 4%). Malaysia (< 1%), Cambodia (1%), and the southern part of China (2%) have but a minor proportion of their total land area in Imperata. The species was found widely distributed on the full range of soil orders. It occupied both fertile (e.g. some of the Inceptisols and Andisols) and infertile soils (Ultisols and Oxisols) across a wide range of climates and elevations. Imperata lands fall into four mapping scale-related categories: Mega-grasslands, itmacro-grasslands, meso-grasslands, and micro-grasslands. The mega-grasslands are often referred to as ‘sheet Imperata’. They are the large contiguous areas of Imperata that would appear on small-scale maps of say 1:1,000,000. We propose that this basic typology be supplemented with a number of additional components that have a key influence on intensification pathways: land quality, market access, and the source of power for tillage. The typology was applied in a case study of Indonesian villages in the vicinity of Imperata grasslands. We propose an international initiative to map and derive a more complete and uniform picture of the area of the Imperata grasslands. This should include selected studies to understand conditions at the local level. These are critical to build the appreciation of change agents for the indigenous systems of resource exploitation, and how they relate to local needs, values and constraints.
Albizia procera – white siris for reforestation and agroforestry
Albizia is a large fast-growing tree that occurs on many different sites. It occurs in forests and savanna woodlands, but prefers moist sites. This species provides wood for a variety of purpose, nutrition, fodder for livestock and shade for tea plantations. This article gives a brief account of this multipurpose tee and how it can be used for reforestation and agroforestry systems.