Red Squirrels as host of Leprosy

• Context (TH): Archaeological evidence shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in medieval England.
• The medieval English city of Winchester was well known for its leprosarium (a hospital for people with leprosy) and connections to the fur trade.
• Leprosy still remains prevalent in Asia, Africa, and South America.
• Research in the last decade has shown that along with humans, armadillos, red squirrels, and chimpanzees can also be the natural hosts of M.leprae.

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

Credits: BBC

• Genus: Sciurus, Spread throughout Europe and Asia.
• The red squirrel is an arboreal (dwelling in tress), primarily herbivorous rodent.
• Long tail helps the squirrel balance and steer. It may also keep the animal warm during sleep.
• Like most tree squirrels, the red squirrel has sharp, curved claws that help it climb and descend. The red squirrel can also swim.
• Like human hair, its coat colour varies by region. It sheds its coat twice a year, switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker, darker winter coat.
• Habitat: Boreal, coniferous woods in northern Europe and Siberia.
• Diet: Seeds of trees, fungi, nuts, berries, vegetables, garden flowers, tree sap and young shoots. More rarely, red squirrels may also eat bird eggs or nestlings.
• Excess food is put into caches, called “Middens”, either buried or in nooks or holes in trees.
• Life expectancy: If it survives the first winter, it can live up to 7 years in the wild.
• IUCN: Least Concern | Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

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