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https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/wild-chimps-with-leprosy-confirmed-for-the-first-time/

A CHIMPANZEE NAMED WOODSTOCK WITH LEPROSY IN TAÏ NATIONAL PARK, CÔTE D’IVOIRE. IMAGE CREDIT: TAI CHIMPANZEE PROJECT

By Tom Hale

13 OCT 2021, 16:19

Scientists have confirmed the first known cases of wild chimpanzees suffering from leprosy, a bacterial disease that typically infects humans. It remains a bit of a mystery how the chimps caught the infection, but researchers say the findings suggest that leprosy is most likely circulating in chimps and other wild animals much more than previously believed.

An international team of researchers from West Africa, Europe, and the US presented their findings in the journalNature. The paper was previously published as a preprint in November 2020, whichIFLScience covered, but the findings have since undergone peer review and confirmation.

The leprosy cases were documented in two wild populations of western chimpanzees (Pan…