UK red squirrels carry 'a form of leprosy' - scientists
British red squirrels are infected with two different strains of the bacterium that causes leprosy, according to a study.
Leprosy was thought to have died out in the UK in medieval times, but these recent discoveries confirm that red squirrels carry the disease.
Despite this, researchers are keen to stress that the squirrel infection poses little, if any, threat to humans.
The research is published in the journal, Science.
In 2014 scientists studying red squirrel populations in Scotland noticed that some of the animals had abnormal growths on their ears, snout and limbs.
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