Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years
Summary
The wildlife trade affects a quarter of terrestrial vertebrates and creates opportunities for cross-species pathogen transmission, but its precise role in shaping animal-human pathogen exchange remains unclear. In our analysis of 40 years of global wildlife trade data, we show that traded mammals are 1.5-fold as likely to share pathogens with humans as nontraded mammals, and that illegal and live-animal trade further exacerbate pathogen sharing. Time spent in trade predicts the number of z
Content
# Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years
*Published: 2026 Apr 9*
The wildlife trade affects a quarter of terrestrial vertebrates and creates
opportunities for cross-species pathogen transmission, but its precise role in
shaping animal-human pathogen exchange remains unclear. In our analysis of 40
years of global wildlife trade data, we show that traded mammals are 1.5-fold as
likely to share pathogens with humans as nontraded mammals, and that illegal and
live-animal trade further exacerbate pathogen sharing. Time spent in trade
predicts the number of zoonotic pathogens that a wildlife species hosts. On
average, a species shares an additional pathogen with humans for every 10 years
it is traded.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adw5518