- Armadillos may be able to give humans leprosy. Emphasis on the “may,” but the evidence is extremely compelling. The Armadillo has long been known to be a leprosy carrier, but it wasn’t thought that cross-species infection was a concern until recently. Researchers found that a substantial amount of people with leprosy in the American deep south had been infected near their homes, and that other humans or armadillos were the only known sources in those areas. Further, some of the people afflicted had handled armadillos prior to the contraction. source