Research on leprosy was held back for many years by the lack of an animal model. This prevented the search for vaccines and effective antibiotic treatments. A breakthrough came from Eleonor Strorns discovery in the late 1960s that nine-banded armadillos were susceptible to leprosy. The Leprosy bacterium thrives in lower body temperatures, in humans, it grows in the extremities such as ears and fingers, but armadillos have a low body temperature around 33°C lower than in humans and other mammals - which means that the disease penetrates deeper and affects the organs. The armadillo became the perfect natural incubator to grow large quantities of M. leprae to study the disease, test drugs and look for a vaccine. They supplied endless cells to sequence DNA and helped find antigens to the pathogen, and one of these days, this unusual mammal could help provide a cure for leprosy. Armadillos are also specifically useful in research because of their peculiar reproduction pattern they give birth to four genetically identical offspring just imagine, four identical babies ... four identical smiles, four identical faces and four identical cries ... enough to drive you crazy.
