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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.02.09.637309

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

Gippet, J. M. W.·Carlson, C. J.·Klaftenberger, T.·Schweizer, M.·Bertelsmeier, C.
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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.

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Gippet, J. M. W., Carlson, C. J., Klaftenberger, T., Schweizer, M., Bertelsmeier, C.. 2025-02-10. Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.09.637309

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