NEW YORK (April 14, 2010)鈥�The Wildlife Conservation Society is working with partners on a study to prevent deadly diseases from entering New York through the illegal trade of such wildlife as apes, monkeys, and rodents.

The study鈥攆ocusing on detecting pathogens in wildlife products entering the New York City area鈥攚ill be discussed by Dr. Kristine Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society鈥檚 Global Health Program at 鈥淲ildlife Conservation and Human Health,鈥� the latest symposium in the WCS Fairfield Osborn Memorial Lecture series on Wednesday, April 14 at Rockefeller University.

The Wildlife Conservation Society helped launch the pilot study in New York City in 2008 and is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

鈥淭his project is part of WCS鈥檚 鈥極ne World One Health鈥� initiative, which addresses the health needs of humans and wildlife locally and globally,鈥� said Dr. Steven Sanderson, president and CEO of WCS. 鈥淲CS has pioneered the practice of helping governments around the world find potential human public health threats by monitoring and caring for wildlife populations in their habitats.鈥�

Dr. Smith also serves as the chair of the New York Bushmeat and Health Committee, a subcommittee of the New York Department of Health鈥檚 Animal Working Group.

Since the New York City project鈥檚 inception, inspection officials and health experts have taken hundreds of samples of wildlife and wildlife products coming through luggage and mail parcels through main entry points for both people and goods into New York City and the United States.聽 Project participants have collected several hundred samples from at least 14 species, including great apes, monkeys, rodents, and bats.

While analysis of the samples is in its early stages, preliminary results have revealed evidence of two strains of simian foamy virus in wildlife imported as food鈥攌nown as 鈥渂ushmeat鈥濃�攆rom three species of primate: two mangabeys and a chimpanzee (all three of which are endangered). Non-human primate samples have also been tested for flavivirus and filovirus thus far.

The detected viruses have been found to infect humans but have yet to cause known disease. The movement of illegal wildlife and the diseases they carry through national entry points highlights the health threat that needs to be monitored and prevented. More than 70 percent of zoonoses (diseases that affect both animals and humans) stem from human contact with wildlife.聽聽

鈥淭he movement and mixing of humans, wildlife, and domestic animals as part of the illegal global wildlife trade encourages transmission of disease and emergence of novel pathogens,鈥� said Dr. William Karesh of the 菊花视频鈥檚 Global Health Program. 鈥淥ur pilot project, still in its early stages, will help identify whether pathogens are entering the U.S. via bushmeat and other illegal wildlife.鈥澛�

鈥淭his is the type of interagency cooperation that鈥檚 needed to protect the public from possible diseases that may be entering the country,鈥� said WCS鈥檚 Dr. Smith.

Investigators at WCS assert that such detection efforts are a critical component of national security, primarily because the United States is the world鈥檚 leading consumer of imported wildlife and wildlife products. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reported that during 2000-2004, more than one billion individual animals were imported into the United States, along with an additional five million kilograms of bushmeat and other animal products.

Diseases of wildlife origin that have impacted public health through the consumption or trade of wild animals include monkey pox, SARS, HIV/AIDS (stemming from human infection with simian immunodeficiency virus), and others.

In addition to health implications, disease risks from the wildlife trade have had enormous economic impacts as well. The SARS outbreak of 2003鈥攁ssociated with trade in small carnivores and ultimately traced to bats 鈥攃ost the international community an estimated $40-50 billion dollars in reactive health measures, declines in travel and commerce, and other cascading economic factors.

The WCS forum where Dr. Smith will further discuss the project and the organization鈥檚 work to stop zoonotic diseases from entering the United States is open to the media.


颁辞苍迟补肠迟:听听
John Delaney聽 (1-718-220-3275; jdelaney@wcs.org)
Stephen Sautner (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)
Mary Dixon (1-347-840-1242; mdixon@wcs.org)

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

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