Cingulata, Illiger, 1811

Roque, André Luiz R. & Jansen, Ana Maria, 2014, Wild and synanthropic reservoirs of Leishmania species in the Americas, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 3 (3), pp. 251-262 : 256

4.3. Order Cingulata

Armadillos, together with didelphid marsupials and Pilosa , are also among the oldest mammal groups from the Americas. They are also the most primitive of the xenarthrans. Members of the family Dasypodidae are the only surviving species in the order and are found from the southern United States to the Straits of Magellan ( Miranda and Costa, 2006). So far, the nine-banded armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus ) is the only non-human host from which L. naiffi has been isolated (from blood, liver and spleen) ( Lainson and Shaw, 1989; Naiff et al., 1991). L. guyanensis is another species already detected in D. novemcinctus from Brazil ( Lainson et al., 1979). In some rural areas, armadillos are commonly observed invading chicken pens, searching for eggs, and frequenting peridomestic areas (personal observations), where it is possible that they can be a source of Leishmania infection for sandflies in this environment.

Armadillos, sloths and anteaters are hunted and eaten in some areas of South America, such as the Amazon. People commonly care for the young in their backyards after having killed the mothers during a hunt. The young are kept until they reach adulthood and we cannot exclude the possibility of they become sources of infection in the peridomestic environment.