Leprosy, how do people get this disease , through eating pork?

Question

Someone told me that leprosy can be caused through eating pork and from there it passes down, being inherented.
Any truth in that? And why is it not contagious?

Answer 1

It is not clear how the leprosy germ is spread, but household and prolonged close contact is important. The germs probably enter the body through the nose and possibly through broken skin. The germs get in the air through nasal discharge of untreated lepromatous patients.

The most widely-held belief is that the disease is transmitted by contact between infected persons and healthy persons. In general, closeness of contact is related to the dose of infection, which in turn is related to the occurrence of disease. Of the various situations that promote close contact, contact within the household is the only one that is easily identified. The only other animals besides humans to contract leprosy are the armadillo, chimpanzees, sooty mangabeys, and cynomolgus macaques.[There is evidence that not all people who are infected with M. leprae develop leprosy, and genetic factors have long been thought to play a role, due to the observation of clustering of leprosy around certain families, and the failure to understand why certain individuals develop lepromatous leprosy while others develop other types of leprosy

Answer 2

It is caused by the bacteria "mycobacterium lepae". It is pretty contagious (which is leper colonies existed - and still do exist in India and Vietnam), but medical advances in the 1940's made it more manageable. It should be noted, however, that exactly how transmission occurs is still not known. We still don't even know if it can be transmitted through insects. All we know is that people who live in close contact or proximity with lepers are more likely to get the disease.

The notion that it can be caught from pork started in the 1100's. There has been some speculation that Jews disliked the pig (and abstained from eating pork) because of the spread of trichinosis or leprosy. This is not easily supported though.

I wouldn't worry about eating pork. Just make sure that it is cooked.

Answer 3

No, was your friend a member of the Nation of Islam or something? They're always saying pork is the white man's tool to make the black man sick. The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known: prolonged close contact and transmission by nasal droplet have both been proposed, and, while the latter fits the pattern of disease, both remain unproved. The most widely-held belief is that the disease is transmitted by contact between infected persons and healthy persons. In general, closeness of contact is related to the dose of infection, which in turn is related to the occurrence of disease. Of the various situations that promote close contact, contact within the household is the only one that is easily identified, although the actual incidence among contacts and the relative risk for them appear to vary considerably in different studies. The only other animals besides humans to contract leprosy are the armadillo, chimpanzees, sooty mangabeys, and cynomolgus macaques. Since they don't eat pork, it's safe to say eating bacon is not going to give you leprosy. And leprosy IS contagious.

Answer 4

I don't think so. Leprosy is caused by a rare bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. Actually its not really known how people get leprosy, but the two main theories are close contact w/ that germ or transmission by nasal droplet. Oh and a reason its not always contagious is because your genes play a role in how the leprosy germ affects you.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Leprosy or Hansen's disease is not caused from eating pork. It is very contagious. It is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
How it is spread is not known. Germs enter the body through the nose and possibly broken skin. Germs get in the air through nasal discharge.

Answer 6

Do what I did, Google "leprosy". See the Wikipedia site in the source.

BTW, you can get fat from eating lots of pork but not leprosy. It is also not inherited as it is from a bacteria. And it is contagious, but the mechanism for transmission is not well-known. See the site cited.

Answer 7

Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae

The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known: prolonged close contact and transmission by nasal droplet have both been proposed, and, while the latter fits the pattern of disease, both remain unproved

Answer 8

The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known: prolonged close contact and transmission by nasal droplet have both been proposed, and, while the latter fits the pattern of disease, both remain unproved.The only other animals besides humans to contract leprosy are the armadillo, chimpanzees, sooty mangabeys, and cynomolgus macaques.

Answer 9

None.

Leprosy is a complex disease involving multiple pathogens. It can be caught through close and repeated contact with the afflicted. It is not the result of eathing pork. Though, eating undercooked pork can expose you to the parasite that causes trichinosis - a horrifically painful, and often fatal afliction - as pigs are omnivores. Meat from commercially raised pigs in developmed countries do not pose a meaningful danger, though.

Answer 10

Leprosy is also known as Hanson's Disease.

"The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known: prolonged close contact and transmission by nasal droplet have both been proposed, and, while the latter fits the pattern of disease, both remain unproved."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansons_disease