Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years

Abstract

Wildlife trade affects a quarter of terrestrial vertebrates(1) and creates novel opportunities for cross-species pathogen transmission(2-4). Yet, its precise role in shaping human-wildlife pathogen exchanges remains unclear. Analysing 40 years of global wildlife trade data, we show that traded mammals are twice as likely to share pathogens with humans than non-traded species. Moreover, time spent in trade strongly predicts the number of zoonotic pathogens that wildlife species host: on average, a species shares an additional pathogen with humans for every 9 years of presence in trade. This work highlights the importance of the wildlife trade in driving animal-to-human pathogen transmission, offering key insights into pathogen biogeography in the Anthropocene and the prevention of future pandemics.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.