A recent study by the WCS Health Program team in Vietnam found high proportions of Coronavirus positive samples among rodents destined for human consumption. The proportion of positives significantly increased along the supply chain from trappers and traders (21 percent), to large markets (32 percent) to restaurants (56 percent).
Viruses from Field to Fork: Study Finds That Wildlife Supply Chains for Human Consumption Increase Coronaviruses’ Spillover Risk to People
Said Amanda Fine, WCS Health Program Associate Director, Asia, and a co-author of the study: “Wildlife supply chains, and the conditions the animals experience while in the supply chain, appear to greatly amplify the prevalence of coronaviruses. In addition, we documented exposure of rodents on wildlife farms to both bat and bird coronaviruses. These high prevalence rates and diversity of coronaviruses, added to the species mixing we see in the wildlife trade, creates more opportunities for coronavirus recombination events as well as spillover.”
New York Times: Wildlife Trade Spreads Coronaviruses as Animals Get To Markets
