A recent study found that British red squirrels are infected with two different strains of bacteria that cause leprosy.

In 2004, researchers studying the population of red squirrels in Scotland noticed that some of the rodents had abnormal growth on their ears, limbs, and snouts.

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"We found that they were suffering from a form of leprosy," Prof. Anna Meredith from the University of Edinburgh said.

The UK population of the red squirrels is under extreme pressure due to habitat loss. The deadly effects of squirrel poxyvirus following the introduction of the North American grey squirrel have made matters worse.

Following the initial report, members of the public reported other cases of lesions that looked liked leprosy in other populations of the red squirrels.

Meredith said that her team took samples from those squirrels, and after extensive investigations, they found that they were also infected with leprosy. Red squirrels on Brownea Island were found to be affected with the human form of leprosy.

Dr. Rachael Tarlinton from the University of Nottingham said it is puzzling why some have one species of the disease, while others don't.

"This may be due to sampling size problems. It's hard to get lots samples from endangered species," Tarlinton who was not involved in the study said.

The findings raise the possibility that animals might be serving as a reservoir for leprosy. There is a possibility that a spillover of bacteria from animals into humans in other areas of the world where human contact with infected animals is more common could occur.

Thousands of new human leprosy cases are reported by the World Health Organization each year. Meredith, however, does not think that the squirrels pose a threat to humans.

TagsLeprosy, Britain