A Quail Of A Tale

26 pounds of confiscated raw Quail Eggs – Credit U.S. Customs

 

# 9885

Every once in awhile we hear a story about someone attempting to bring potentially dangerous food items or even live animals into this, or other countries, packed in their luggage. Sometimes there are attempts to conceal these items, and other times they are declared only for their owners to discover they are prohibited, and must be destroyed.

A few examples over the years:

• In 2010, two men were indicted for attempting to smuggle dozens of song birds (strapped to their legs inside their pants) into LAX from Vietnam (see Man who smuggled live birds strapped to legs faces 20 years in prison).
• In 2012, in Taiwan Seizes H5N1 Infected Birds, we learned of a smuggler who was detained at Taoyuan international airport in Taiwan after arriving from Macau with dozens of infected birds. Nine people exposed to these birds were observed for 10 days, and luckily none showed signs of infection.
• In May of 2013, in All Too Frequent Flyers, we saw a Vietnamese passenger, on a flight into Dulles Airport, who was caught with 20 raw Chinese Silkie Chickens in his luggage.
• The following month we saw a traveler (see Vienna: 5 Smuggled Birds Now Reported Positive For H5N1) attempt to smuggle 60 live birds into Austria from Bali, only to have 39 die in transit, and five test positive for H5N1.   Fortunately, no humans were infected.

Today, Boston’s WCBV-TV is reporting that customs officials at Logan Airport intercepted, and destroyed, 26 pounds of raw quail eggs being brought in by a passenger from Vietnam (who declared the food items).

 

Vietnam is one of those countries where H5N1, and other avian flu viruses have been been frequently reported, making raw eggs (and the material they are packed in) potentially hazardous.

Passenger at Logan found with 26 pounds of quail eggs

Customs agents destroy quail eggs

UPDATED 12:35 PM EDT Mar 30, 2015

BOSTON —A passenger carrying 26 pounds of raw quail eggs was intercepted at Logan Airport earlier this month, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said the passenger had just arrived from Vietnam and declared various foods to customs agents, including 26 pounds of quail eggs wrapped in rice hulls.

All eggs and egg products originating from countries or regions affected with avian flu must be accompanied by a USDA Veterinary Services permit and meet all permit requirements, or be consigned to an approved establishment, according to officials.

(Continue . . . )

 

While we don’t hear about it often, every day customs officials intercept thousands of pounds of potentially hazardous food items, or exotic animals, that could easily be carrying a dangerous disease like avian flu.

 

Individually, most of these incidents represent a low risk of infection, but that risk is not zero. And that risk is multiplied by hundreds of incidents around the globe each day.

 

The movement of poultry and poultry products across porous borders in China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, and Bangladesh has undoubtedly helped in the spread of the H5N1 virus. 

 

And more than a dozen years ago `wild flavor’ restaurants were the rage in mainland China, but most particularly in Guangzhou Province. Diners there could indulge in exotic dishes – often slaughtered and cooked tableside - including dog, cat, civit, muskrat, ferret, monkey, along with a variety of snakes, reptiles, and birds.

 

It was from this practice that the SARS is suspected to have emerged, when kitchen workers apparently became infected while preparing wild animals for consumption.

 

From there 8,000 people were infected, 800 died, and the world brushed uncomfortably close to seeing the first pandemic of the 21st century.

 

Perhaps even more risky is the (often illegal) trade in exotic animals, such as birds and small mammals.

Photo Credit USDA

 

In November of 2011, in Psittacosis Identified In Hong Kong Respiratory Outbreak, we saw a limited outbreak among personnel at an agricultural station where smuggled birds seized by customs agents had been quarantined. Subsequently 3 parrots died, and 10 were euthanized.

 

Another  example, in 2003 we saw a rare outbreak of Monkeypox in the United States when an animal distributor imported hundreds of small animals from Ghana, which in turn infected prairie dogs that were subsequently sold to the public (see MMWR Update On Monkeypox 2003)

(Photo Credit CDC PHIL)

This outbreak infected at least 71 people across 6 states. Fortunately, no one died, as the virus has a relatively high (10%) fatality rate in Africa (see `Carrion’ Luggage & Other Ways To Import Exotic Diseases).

 

While the next pandemic virus is far more likely to arrive carried by an infected, but not yet symptomatic, air traveler – that isn’t the only plausible import scenario. 

 

Beyond H5N1, SARS and monkeypox, a few other viruses of concern include Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, other avian influenzas (H7N9, H5N6, H5N8, etc.), assorted hemorrhagic fevers, many variations of SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and of course . . .  Virus X.

 

The one we don’t know about.   Yet.

Vienna: 5 Smuggled Birds Now Reported Positive For H5N1

Photo Credit USDA

 

 

# 7395

 

An update to a story mentioned earlier this week by Crof (see Austria: Smuggled bird had H5N1) which told of a couple caught attempting to smuggling 60 birds purchased in Bali through the airport in Vienna.

 

Out of these 5 dozen exotic birds, 39 had died in transit, and one had tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

 

Amazingly, these birds had made it through at least 2 other airports before being detected in Vienna.

 

Today we learn that 5 of those birds have now tested positive for the avian flu virus, and additional testing is underway. This (translated report) from Arkanoid Legent  comes from Radio Niederösterreich.

 

Czech Republic : Bird flu - Five animals were infected

Machine translated article from Noe.Orf :

After the previous week on the Schwechat Airport 60 birds were discovered in travel bags, there are now additional assay results from five of the smuggled from Bali animals were infected with the bird flu virus.

 

The investigation of the 60 confiscated birds is still in progress, so the tests are not yet complete. So far, the H5N1 virus could be clearly detected in five animals.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

The smuggling of birds, exotic animals, and exotic animal products are all too common, and have the very real potential of introducing exotic diseases to new locales. 

 

A few high profile examples include:

 

• In May, UK customs agents in Leeds twice intercepted hidden caches of live grey francolin birds being brought in from Islamabad (see Daily Mail story Customs officers find live Asian fighting birds in suitcases after smugglers flew them into Britain).
• Incredibly, in 2010, two men were indicted for attempting to smuggle dozens of song birds (strapped to their legs inside their pants) into LAX from Vietnam (see Man who smuggled live birds strapped to legs faces 20 years in prison).
• Last summer, in Taiwan Seizes H5N1 Infected Birds, we learned of a smuggler who was detained at Taoyuan international airport in Taiwan after arriving from Macau dozesns of infected birds. Nine people exposed to these birds were observed for 10 days, and luckily none showed signs of infection.

 

And just last month, in All Too Frequent Flyers, we saw a Vietnamese passenger, on a flight into Dulles Airport, who was caught with 20 raw Chinese Silkie Chickens in his luggage.

 

 

Beyond the cruelty perpetrated against these hapless creatures, and the loss of often endangered species, there is a very real danger of importing diseases via smuggled goods.

 

It was the consumption of exotic bushmeat in `wild flavor’ restaurants in Guangdong province, China that was apparently behind the introduction of SARS to humans in 2003 (see Bushmeat,`Wild Flavor’ & EIDs).

 

 

The trade in exotic pets (whether legal or illegal), and in `bush meat’, provides an easy avenue for the cross-border introduction of zoonotic diseases around the globe.

 

As an example, we saw a rare outbreak of Monkeypox in the United States in 2003, when an animal distributor imported hundreds of small animals from Ghana, which in turn infected prairie dogs that were subsequently sold to the public (see MMWR Update On Monkeypox 2003)

(Photo Credit CDC PHIL)

 

This outbreak infected at least 71 people across 6 states. No vaccine is available for Monkeypox, but the smallpox vaccination is said to reduce the risk of infection.

 

Two years ago  British papers were filled with reports of `bushmeat’ being sold in the UK. A couple of links to articles include:

 

Meat from chimpanzees 'is on sale in Britain' in lucrative black market

Chimp meat discovered on menu in Midlands restaurants

 

The slaughtering of these intelligent primates for food (but mostly profit) is horrific its own right, but it also has the very real potential of introducing zoonotic pathogens to humans.

 

In 2005, the CDC’s EID Journal carried a perspective article on the dangers of bushmeat hunting by Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke.

 

It describes how it may take multiple introductions of a zoonotic pathogen to man – over a period of years or decades – before it adapts well enough to human physiology to support human-to-human transmission.

 

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

 

Beyond H5N1, SARS and monkeypox, a few other viruses of concern include Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, other avian influenzas, hemorrhagic fevers, many variations of SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and of course . . .  Virus X.

 

The one we don’t know about.  Yet.

All Too Frequent Flyers

# 7223

 

Two weeks ago, during a CDC: COCA Call On H7N9, a question was asked about the importation of potentially infected poultry from China.  Dr. Faye Bresler supplied the following answer:

 

(Dr. Faye Bresler):

Hi, this is (Dr. Faye Bresler). I was formally with USDA, and I did a very quick search on the animal and plant health inspection service page on live poultry. It does indicate that there is no importation from the People's Republic of China. And quite a few other countries are also listed there. So I understand that there's a concern of smuggling, but in terms of authorized entry there is none.

 

As Dr. Bresler indicated, smuggling of food products from Asia (and Africa, and other regions as well) is a big problem around the world.

 

The movement of poultry across porous borders in India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China has undoubtedly helped in the spread of the H5N1 virus.

 

The smuggling of animal products into Europe and the United States is something we’ve discussed several times in the past, including Bushmeat,`Wild Flavor’ & EIDs, and WSJ: Nathan Wolfe & Viral Chatter).

 

Yesterday, The Washington Post carried a story of a Vietnamese passenger, on a flight into Dulles Airport, who was caught with 20 raw Chinese Silkie Chickens in his luggage.

 

U.S. Customs seizes 20 raw Chinese Silkie chickens at Dulles airport

By Annys Shin, Published: May 2

The passenger from Vietnam didn’t speak English. And U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at Dulles International Airport say they could not immediately find a translator. So they let the contents of the traveler’s luggage speak for itself and ran it through an X-ray machine.

 

That’s when they spotted the chickens, 20 of them, packed in Ziploc bags and tucked inside a cooler.

(Continue . . .)

 

 

The author of the above article, unfortunately, chooses to make light (“no harm, no fowl”) of a serious issue.

 

A decade ago `wild flavor’ restaurants were the rage in mainland China, most particularly in Guangzhou Province. Diners there could indulge in exotic dishes – often slaughtered and cooked tableside - including dog, cat, civit, muskrat, ferret, monkey, along with a variety of snakes, reptiles, and birds.

 

What are commonly referred to as `bushmeat’.

 

It was from this practice that the SARS is believed to have emerged, when kitchen workers apparently became infected while preparing wild animals for consumption.

 

Before SARS burned out, more than 8,000 people were infected around the globe and at least 800 died.

 

In 2011 the British papers were filled with reports of `bushmeat’ being sold in the UK. A couple of links to articles include:

 

Meat from chimpanzees 'is on sale in Britain' in lucrative black market

Chimp meat discovered on menu in Midlands restaurants

 

The slaughtering of these intelligent (and often endangered) primates for food (but mostly profit) is horrific its own right, but it also has the very real potential of introducing zoonotic pathogens to humans to have contact with, or consume, these products.

 

To give some perspective on the size of the problem, in 2010 a study published in the journal Conservation Letters  looked at the amount of smuggled bushmeat that was coming into Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport over a 17 day period on flights from west and central Africa.

 

An Associated Press article provides the details (link & excerpt below):

 

 

Tons of Bushmeat Smuggled Into Paris, Study Finds

By MARIA CHENG and CHRISTINA OKELLO Associated Press Writers

PARIS June 17, 2010 (AP)

(EXCERPT)

Experts found 11 types of bushmeat including monkeys, large rats, crocodiles, small antelopes and pangolins, or anteaters. Almost 40 percent were listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

 

In 2005, the CDC’s EID Journal carried a perspective article on the dangers of bushmeat hunting by Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke . 

 

It describes how it may take multiple introductions of a zoonotic pathogen to man – over a period of years or decades – before it adapts well enough to human physiology to support human-to-human transmission.

 

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

 

 

Admittedly, the smuggling of raw bushmeat is less likely to spread a virus than would bringing in live birds, but the risk is not zero, and dead birds are far easier to pack in carry on luggage (although `carrion’ luggage, may be a more accurate term).

 

While it is important we watch migratory flyways for clues as to how an avian virus might make its way from Asia to Europe or North America, the simple truth is people, and their contraband, make thousands of international flights everyday. 

 

An advantage that the highly successful 1918 Spanish flu never had.

Taiwan Seizes H5N1 Infected Birds

 

Photo Credit USDA

 

# 3437

 

Despite only rarely being acknowledged as a problem by their government, there is compelling evidence to suggest that the H5N1 virus is firmly entrenched in many parts of China.

 

There are, of course, the 43 human cases that have been officially reported over the past decade, and from time to time the Chinese media mentions a culling operation taking place at an infected farm. 

 

There are unofficial reports and rumors, often carried by the dissident press, but more tangibly, we’ve seen a steady trickle of H5N1 infected birds – most coming from the mainland – detected each year in Hong Kong.

 

Perhaps even more ominously, we’ve seen the recurring phenomenon of infected poultry carcasses - apparently dumped into the upper Pearl River by farmers - washing up on the beaches of Hong Kong (see The Winter Of Our Disbelief).

 

Today, we’ve a story that bolsters concerns that the H5N1 virus remains active in China, and illustrates just how easily dangerous pathogens can move from one region to the next. 

 

Authorities in Taiwan have seized, and destroyed, 38 birds being smuggled into their country from China that were infected with the H5N1 virus.

 

Taiwan finds H5N1 virus in birds smuggled from China

Posted: 17 July 2012

TAIPEI: Dozens of pet birds smuggled from southern China into Taiwan tested positive for the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus and were destroyed, Taiwanese authorities said Tuesday.

(Continue . . . )

 

The story indicates the smuggler was detained at Taoyuan international airport in Taiwan after arriving from Macau with his winged contraband. Nine people exposed to these birds were observed for 10 days, and luckily none showed signs of infection.

 

This is not the first time that H5N1 infected birds have been smuggled into Taiwan.  From Taiwan’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) we get this account of an incident from 2005.

 

H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Detected in Smuggled Birds from China

In midnight of October 14, 2005, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration confiscated 1,037 birds from a freighter of which the ship staff smuggled the birds from China into Taichung. All the birds were humanely sacrificed on next day and immediately sent to the Animal Health Research Institute for routine diagnosis to find out if they were infected with avian influenza and other concerned diseases. The test results confirmed that those smuggled birds were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus.

 

 

Porous borders, security guards that will look the other way for the right price, and a lucrative market make bird smuggling a popular gambit in many parts of the world, and it can involve anything from expensive exotics to everyday poultry.

 

Some earlier blogs on bird smuggling involving the H5N1 virus include:

 

Update On West Bank Bird Flu Outbreak

S. Korea: Police To Step Up Fight Against Poultry Smugglers

West Bengal: Thousands Of Chickens Smuggled Out

Vietnam Finds Bird Flu In Smuggled Chinese Chickens

Vietnam Detects `New Strain' Of H5N1

Hong Kong Investigating Source Of Bird Flu Virus

 

 

To be fair, China isn’t the only source of H5N1 infected birds, and H5N1 isn’t the only dangerous pathogen being smuggled across borders around the world.

 

The trade in exotic pets, and `bush meat’, provides an easy avenue for the cross-border introduction of zoonotic diseases around the globe.

 

As an example, we saw a rare outbreak of Monkeypox in the United States in 2003, when an animal distributor imported hundreds of small animals from Ghana, which in turn infected prairie dogs that were subsequently sold to the public (see MMWR Update On Monkeypox 2003)

(Photo Credit CDC PHIL)

 

This outbreak infected at least 71 people across 6 states. No vaccine is available for Monkeypox, but the smallpox vaccination is said to reduce the risk of infection.

 

Last year  British papers were filled with reports of `bushmeat’ being sold in the UK. A couple of links to articles include:

 

Meat from chimpanzees 'is on sale in Britain' in lucrative black market

Chimp meat discovered on menu in Midlands restaurants

 

The slaughtering of these intelligent (and often endangered) primates for food (but mostly profit) is horrific its own right, but it also has the very real potential of introducing zoonotic pathogens to humans.

 

 

In 2005, the CDC’s EID Journal carried a perspective article on the dangers of bushmeat hunting by Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke.

 

It describes how it may take multiple introductions of a zoonotic pathogen to man – over a period of years or decades – before it adapts well enough to human physiology to support human-to-human transmission.

 

 

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

 

Beyond H5N1, SARS and monkeypox, a few other viruses of concern include Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, other avian influenzas, hemorrhagic fevers, many variations of SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and of course . . .  Virus X.

 

The one we don’t know about.  Yet.

 

On the frontlines attempting to interdict the next emerging pathogen is the above mentioned Dr. Nathan Wolfe, whom I’ve written about several times before, including:

 

Nathan Wolfe And The Doomsday Strain

Nathan Wolfe: Virus Hunter

 

You can watch a fascinating TED Talk by Dr. Wolfe HERE on preventing the `next pandemic’.

(Click Image to view video)

 

While it may take multiple introductions over many years before a zoonotic disease can get a foothold in a new region, the public health risks posed by these smuggling operations are all too real.

A sobering thought, considering the number of illicit items that manage to get across international borders undetected.

WSJ: Nathan Wolfe & Viral Chatter

 

 

 

# 5886

 

A decade ago `wild flavor’ restaurants were the rage in mainland China, most particularly in Guangzhou Province. Diners there could indulge in exotic dishes – often slaughtered and cooked tableside - including dog, cat, civit, muskrat, ferret, monkey, along with a variety of snakes, reptiles, and birds.

 

What are commonly referred to as `bushmeat’.

 

It was from this practice that the SARS is believed to have emerged, when kitchen workers apparently became infected while preparing wild animals for consumption.

 

Before SARS burned out, more than 8,000 people were infected around the globe and at least 800 died.

 

In the aftermath of the SARS epidemic – at least for a time – Chinese authorities cracked down on many of these `wild flavor’ establishments, although some reportedly still flourish in parts of China.

 

In Africa consumption of bushmeat is common, and often ends up illegally imported into the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

 

In recent years we’ve seen an increase in the number of outbreaks of Monkeypox in central and western Africa, and even a rare outbreak in the United States in 2003 when an animal distributor imported hundreds of small animals from Ghana, which in turn infected prairie dogs that were subsequently sold to the public (see MMWR Update On Monkeypox 2003)

 

(Photo Credit CDC PHIL)

 

While dubbed `monkeypox’, this less lethal cousin to smallpox is probably more commonly found in rodents than in monkeys.  Both of which are often targets of bushmeat hunters.

 

No vaccine is available for monkeypox, but the smallpox vaccination is said to reduce the risk of infection.

 

Earlier this year the British papers were filled with reports of `bushmeat’ being sold in the UK. A couple of links to articles include:

 

Meat from chimpanzees 'is on sale in Britain' in lucrative black market

Chimp meat discovered on menu in Midlands restaurants

 

The slaughtering of these intelligent (and often endangered) primates for food (but mostly profit) is horrific its own right, but it also has the very real potential of introducing zoonotic pathogens to humans.

 

To give some perspective on the size of the problem, in 2010 a study published in the journal Conservation Letters  looked at the amount of smuggled bushmeat that was coming into Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport over a 17 day period on flights from west and central Africa.

 

An Associated Press article provides the details (link & excerpt below):

 

Tons of Bushmeat Smuggled Into Paris, Study Finds

By MARIA CHENG and CHRISTINA OKELLO Associated Press Writers

PARIS June 17, 2010 (AP)

(EXCERPT)

Experts found 11 types of bushmeat including monkeys, large rats, crocodiles, small antelopes and pangolins, or anteaters. Almost 40 percent were listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

 

In 2005, the CDC’s EID Journal carried a perspective article on the dangers of bushmeat hunting by Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke . 

 

It describes how it may take multiple introductions of a zoonotic pathogen to man – over a period of years or decades – before it adapts well enough to human physiology to support human-to-human transmission.

 

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

 

 

Beyond SARS and monkeypox, a few other viruses of concern include Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, avian influenzas, hemorrhagic fevers, many variations of SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and of course . . .  Virus X.

 

The one we don’t know about.  Yet.

 

On the frontlines attempting to interdict the next emerging pathogen is Dr. Nathan Wolfe, whom I’ve written about several times before, including:

 

Nathan Wolfe And The Doomsday Strain

Nathan Wolfe: Virus Hunter

 

You can also view an absolutely fascinating TED Talk by Dr. Wolfe.

Video Link

 

 

Dr. Wolf has an essay in today’s WSJ that is adapted from his new book ("The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age."), that looks at ways that monitoring `viral chatter’ could tip us off to the next emerging pandemic.

 

Where Will The Next Pandemic Come From?

To intercept killer viruses, we need to monitor 'viral chatter' in the wilds of Central Africa and Southeast Asia

 

 

His vision of a `viral war room’, one that would monitor viral chatter and electronic medical records around the globe, does not exist yet.  But there are some volunteer organizations out there working on a much smaller scale -such as ProMed Mail, FluTrackers, the Flu Wiki, and the rest of flublogia  – that are attempting to find early indicators of viral trouble from press reports around the world. 

 

For more on how the dedicated volunteer newshounds of the Internet work to track down these stories, I would invite you to read:

 

Newshounds: They Cover The Pandemic Front.

Bushmeat,`Wild Flavor’ & EIDs

 

 

 

# 5344

 

 

During the opening years of the first decade of the 21st century, `wild flavor’ restaurants flourished in many parts of China, but most particularly in Guangzhou Province.

 

There you could partake in all sorts of exotic dishes – often slaughtered and cooked in front of you - including dog, cat, civit, muskrat, ferret, monkey, along with a variety of snakes, reptiles, and birds.

 

What are commonly referred to as `bushmeat’.

 

For a horrific description of the conditions in these restaurants, I would direct you to an essay by Karl Taro Greenfeld called Wild Flavor which appeared in the Paris Review in 2005.

 

Greenfeld, you may recall, is the author of The China Syndrome: The True Story of the 21st Century's First Great Epidemic.  Perhaps the most authoritative (and absolutely riveting) account of the SARS outbreak of 2003, and how it was directly linked to the practice of consuming bushmeat in China.

 

In the wake of the SARS outbreak China – at least for a time – cracked down on many of these `wild flavor’ establishments, although they reportedly still flourish in some parts of China.

 

Yesterday, the British papers were filled with stories on the importation and sale of illegal bushmeat in the UK, including reports of chimpanzee meat being sold in some restaurants. 

 

A couple of links to articles include:

 

Meat from chimpanzees 'is on sale in Britain' in lucrative black market

Chimp meat discovered on menu in Midlands restaurants

 

 

The slaughtering of these intelligent (and often endangered) primates for food (but mostly profit) is sufficiently disturbing in its own right, but the dangers inherent in such practices are hardly trivial.

 

The killing, butchering, and even consumption of bushmeat have the very real potential of introducing zoonotic pathogens to humans. We saw that happen in 2003 with SARS, and it believed that this was how HIV was introduced into the human population as well.

 

While most people think of bushmeat hunting as something that a few indigenous tribes in Africa might do to feed their protein-starved communities, the reality is that hundreds of tons of bushmeat are butchered and exported (usually smuggled) to Europe, Asia, and North America every year.

 

In the summer of 2010 headlines were made when a study – published in the journal Conservation Letters  looked at the amount of smuggled bushmeat that was coming into Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport over a 17 day period on flights from west and central Africa.

 

An Associated Press article provides the details (link & excerpt below)

 

 

Tons of Bushmeat Smuggled Into Paris, Study Finds

 

By MARIA CHENG and CHRISTINA OKELLO Associated Press Writers

PARIS June 17, 2010 (AP)

(EXCERPT)

Experts found 11 types of bushmeat including monkeys, large rats, crocodiles, small antelopes and pangolins, or anteaters. Almost 40 percent were listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

 

Based on what officials seized — 414 pounds (188 kilos) of bushmeat — the researchers estimated that about five tons of bushmeat gets into Paris each week.

(Continue . . . )

 

In 2005, the CDC’s EID Journal carried a perspective article on the dangers of bushmeat hunting by Nathan D. Wolfe, Peter Daszak, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Donald S. Burke.

 

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

 

It’s an interesting article, and it describes how it may take numerous transmissions of a zoonotic pathogen to man – over a period of years or decades – before it adapts well enough to human physiology to support human-to-human transmission.

 

Bushmeat hunting is a common intersection between man and reservoirs of zoonotic viruses, with a strong potential for an infection to occur.

 

One of those zoonotic diseases of concern is monkeypox.

 

In recent years we’ve seen an increase in the number of outbreaks of in central and western Africa, and even a rare outbreak in the United States in 2003 when an animal distributor imported hundreds of small animals from Ghana, which in turn infected prairie dogs that were subsequently sold to the public (see MMWR  Update On Monkeypox 2003)

 

(Photo Credit CDC PHIL)

 

While dubbed `monkeypox’, this less lethal cousin to smallpox is probably more commonly found in rodents than in monkeys.  Both of which are often targets of bushmeat hunters.

 

No vaccine is available for monkeypox, but the smallpox vaccination is said to reduce the risk of infection.

 

Just a few of the other viruses of concern include Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, many variations of SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and of course . . .  Virus X.   

 

The one we don’t know about.  Yet.

 

For more on this we turn again to Nathan Wolfe, `The Virus Hunter’  and founder of Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI), who spends half his time in the wilds of Cameroon testing bushmeat – and hunters – looking for virus X.

 

I’ve written about Nathan Wolf several times over the years, including:

 

Nathan Wolfe And The Doomsday Strain

Nathan Wolfe: Virus Hunter

 

I can also highly recommend an absolutely fascinating TED Talk by Dr. Wolfe.

 

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.  Each year they hold a 4 day long event at Long Beach, California where 50 people are urged to give the 18-minute talk of their lives.

 

And believe me, this is one talk you don’t want to miss.

Video Link

 

While many people are understandably outraged or disgusted by the notion of bushmeat hunting, for virologists, the impact is much broader. 

 

Three quarters of human diseases originated in other animal species, and there are undoubtedly many more out there, waiting for an opportunity to jump to a new host.

 

Sadly, the role of `wild flavor’ cuisine in SARS epidemic in China and the introduction of HIV to humans via the hunting of bushmeat in Africa, it would appear, are lessons we have yet to fully embrace.

Nathan Wolfe And The Doomsday Strain

 

 

# 5160

 

 

Yes, I know the above sounds like the title to a Tom Swift adventure, but don’t let that deter you. As Crof so aptly put it in his blog overnight, the article below (penned by Michael Specter) is The must-read of the month.

 

Go now and read this PDF of a feature that appears in this week’s New Yorker Magazine, called The Doomsday Strain.

 

I’ll wait.

 

I’ve been an unabashed fan of Doctor Nathan Wolfe for quite some time, and have featured him in this blog on more than one occasion.

 

Wolfe is pretty much the Indiana Jones of Virology, spending about half of his time in the jungles of Africa looking for the next doomsday virus.

 

I wrote about Dr. Wolfe  last year (see Nathan Wolfe: Virus Hunter), and also featured an absolutely fascinating TED Talk by Dr. Wolfe.

 

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.  Each year they hold a 4 day long event at Long Beach, California where 50 people are urged to give the 18-minute talk of their lives.

 

And believe me, this is one talk you don’t want to miss.

About this talk

Virus hunter Nathan Wolfe is outwitting the next pandemic by staying two steps ahead: discovering new, deadly viruses where they first emerge -- passing from animals to humans among poor subsistence hunters in Africa -- before they claim millions of lives

Full bio and more links

(Click Image to view video)