Rosa P S, Pinke C A E, Pedrini S C B, Silva E A
Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima, Bauru, SP, Brazil.
Braz J Biol. 2009 Feb;69(1):117-22. doi: 10.1590/s1519-69842009000100014.
Armadillos of the species Dasypus novemcinctus have been used as an experimental model of leprosy. Besides non-human primates, they are the only species naturally infected with Mycobacterium leprae and when experimentally inoculated, reproduce the lepromatous form of the disease producing large quantities of bacilli. This species has been maintained in captivity by numerous researchers and specific housing and feeding requirements have been developed to guarantee their survival during long experimental periods. In the 'Lauro de Souza Lima' Institute, armadillos receive dog food, ground beef, boiled eggs and vitamin C. However, despite the balanced diet, anemia has been observed in some captive animals, especially in armadillos inoculated with M. leprae in advanced stages of infection. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of iron sulfate supplementation in the feed provided for armadillos, both inoculated and non-inoculated with M. leprae, by means of the evaluation of their hematological profile. Fourteen armadillos received 10 mg/animal of iron sulfate (Hematofer(R)) diluted in sterile water mixed with their daily feed for 50 days. Hemograms and serum iron dosages for each armadillo were performed before and after supplementation. The hematocrit values increased significantly after iron supplementation, both in armadillos inoculated and non-inoculated with M. leprae. It is possible that the amount of iron in the feed is insufficient for the formation of hemoglobin, leading to microcytic anemia. Dietary supplementation with iron sulfate reversed this state, showing the importance of understanding the metabolism of exotic species for their maintenance in captivity, and thus ensuring their well-being.
九带犰狳已被用作麻风病的实验模型。除了非人灵长类动物外，它们是唯一自然感染麻风分枝杆菌的物种，在实验接种后，会再现麻风瘤型疾病，产生大量杆菌。许多研究人员都在圈养这种物种，并制定了特定的饲养和喂食要求，以确保它们在长时间的实验期内存活。在“劳罗·德·索萨·利马”研究所，犰狳食用狗粮、绞碎的牛肉、煮鸡蛋和维生素C。然而，尽管饮食均衡，但在一些圈养动物中仍观察到贫血现象，尤其是在感染晚期接种麻风分枝杆菌的犰狳中。因此，本研究的目的是通过评估犰狳的血液学特征，来评估在为接种和未接种麻风分枝杆菌的犰狳提供的饲料中添加硫酸亚铁的效果。14只犰狳每只接受10毫克硫酸亚铁（Hematofer(R)），将其稀释在无菌水中，与它们的日常饲料混合，持续50天。在补充前后，对每只犰狳进行血常规和血清铁含量测定。补充铁后，接种和未接种麻风分枝杆菌的犰狳的血细胞比容值均显著增加。饲料中的铁含量可能不足以形成血红蛋白，导致小细胞性贫血。补充硫酸亚铁纠正了这种状态，表明了解外来物种的代谢对于它们在圈养中的生存维护很重要，从而确保它们的健康。
