If any more proof of the illegal wildlife trade鈥檚 enormous global impact was needed, it鈥檚 here鈥攍iterally鈥攁t JFK International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental-Houston and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International. And as the trade grows, so does its health risks. Experts have now identified evidence of retroviruses and herpesviruses in illegally imported wildlife products confiscated at these three U.S. airports.

An article released in PLoS ONE entitled "Zoonotic Viruses Associated with Illegally Imported Wildlife Products" details the case. The study was conducted by WCS in collaboration with various health partners and led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The groups initiated the pilot program in order to establish surveillance and testing methods to uncover the potential public health risks from illegally imported wildlife products coming into the U.S. Their findings show the potential for international travel hubs to serve as a pathway to disease emergence in animals and humans.

鈥淭he increase in international travel and trade brings with it an increased risk of unmonitored pathogens via the illegal wildlife trade,鈥� said Dr. Denise McAloose, chief pathologist for WCS鈥檚 Global Health Program. The global trade of wildlife has largely contributed to the emergence of new diseases in livestock, native wildlife, and humans worldwide. Current research shows that 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases affecting people originate from contact with wildlife. The global wildlife trade contributes to the transmission of these sicknesses.

Items confiscated as part of the study included raw to semi-cooked animal parts, identified by American Museum of Natural History鈥檚 Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, Columbia University, and WCS as baboons, chimpanzees, and various rodent species. Pathogen analysis was conducted at the CDC National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention and Columbia University鈥檚 Center for Infection and Immunity. Among the pathogens identified in the products were a zoonotic retrovirus, simian foamy viruses, and several nonhuman primate herpesviruses. These results are the first to confirm that illegally imported bushmeat can contain and spread pathogens, and suggest a need for surveillance of the trade to help prevent disease emergence.

The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of imported wildlife products and wildlife. A previous study by EcoHealth Alliance, one of the study partners, showed that between 2000 and 2006, approximately 1.5 billion live wild animals were legally imported into the U.S., with 90 percent slated for the pet trade. Programs like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 Healthy Pets, Healthy People and EcoHealth Alliance鈥檚 PetWatch encourage responsible exotic pet choices and ownership. U.S. Fish and Wildlife records show that more than 55 million pounds of wildlife products enter the country each year, with New York City the most common port of entry, followed by Miami and Los Angeles.

Beyond the public health risks of the live and non-live wildlife trade are risk of disease introduction to native wildlife and agricultural species, proliferation of non-native wildlife causing damage to U.S. ecosystems, as well as the protection of threatened and endangered species.

The pilot study is the first to establish port surveillance methodology to test for diseases associated with wildlife products. Through improved monitoring, authorities will have a better chance of preventing new diseases from emerging through this dangerous illegal trade.

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