ESP Chair Alonso Aguirre and his students publish study on the effects of illegal wildlife trade
MDPI's journal Animals recently published a study by Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) Chair, Alonso Aguirre and ESP students Elizabeth Rush and Erin Dale. The study focuses on the negative effects of illegal wildlife trade.
Summary from Illegal Wildlife Trade and Emerging Infectious Diseases: Pervasive Impacts to Species, Ecosystems and Human Health:
Wildlife is trafficked illegally across the globe every day. The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) creates opportunity for emerging infectious disease (EID) events to occur. EIDs are a major threat to wildlife, ecosystems, and public health. This study addresses the lack of comprehensive review of pathogens identified in IWT and highlights the expansion of literature on this subject over the past 30 years. We reviewed 82 scientific papers and conference proceedings from 1990 to 2020. Trends in EIDs identified in IWT have significantly increased over the past decade. Cases covered 240 pathogens across all taxa. Approximately 60% of the pathogens identified were zoonotic (transmissible between animals and humans) and threaten public health. Based on our findings, we recommend further research is needed to monitor and prevent the IWT.
