Coronavirus transmission risk increases along wildlife supply chains
Coronaviruses were detected in a high proportion of bats and rodents in Vietnam from 2013 to 2014, with an increasing proportion of positive samples found along the wildlife supply chain from traders to large markets to restaurants, according to a study published recently in PLOS ONE by Amanda Fine of the Wildlife Conservation Society and colleagues. As noted by the authors, the amplification of coronaviruses along the wildlife supply chain suggests maximal risk for end consumers and likely explains the coronavirus spillover to people.
Outbreaks of emerging Coronaviruses in the past two decades and the current pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) highlight the importance of this viral family as a public health threat.
To minimise the public health risks of viral disease emergence, the authors recommend improving Coronavirus surveillance in wildlife and implementing targeted wildlife trade reform.
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