Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk?
The practice of consuming wild fauna in Brazil is both culturally and socioeconomically questionable. Wild animals and their byproducts are sought for nutritional, medicinal, and/or supernatural reasons, with some taxa (e.g., songbirds) being kept as pets. This practice is concentrated in traditiona...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/3/222 |
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| author | Caio Graco Zeppelini Ianei de Oliveira Carneiro Poliana Mascarenhas de Abreu Ann Katelynn Linder Romulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves Federico Costa |
| author_facet | Caio Graco Zeppelini Ianei de Oliveira Carneiro Poliana Mascarenhas de Abreu Ann Katelynn Linder Romulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves Federico Costa |
| author_sort | Caio Graco Zeppelini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The practice of consuming wild fauna in Brazil is both culturally and socioeconomically questionable. Wild animals and their byproducts are sought for nutritional, medicinal, and/or supernatural reasons, with some taxa (e.g., songbirds) being kept as pets. This practice is concentrated in traditional and rural communities, as well as the rural exodus populations in large urban centers, maintained both by cultural preferences and for their role in food safety in part of the rural exodus community. A total of 564 taxa are known to be sold in wet markets in Brazil, with birds, fish, and mammals being the most commonly listed. There is great zoonotic outbreak potential in this consumption chain given the diversity of species involved (with several listed being known reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens), invasion of wild environments for hunting, unsanitary processing of carcasses, and consumption of most/all biotopes of the animal, as well as the creation of favorable conditions to cross-species pathogen transmission. Given its socioeconomic situation and the global trends in disease emergence, there is a risk of the future emergence of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in Brazil through wildlife consumption. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:56:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97659f24151a493e98f47c33e6676f72 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:56:16Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-97659f24151a493e98f47c33e6676f722024-03-27T13:58:53ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172024-03-0113322210.3390/pathogens13030222Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk?Caio Graco Zeppelini0Ianei de Oliveira Carneiro1Poliana Mascarenhas de Abreu2Ann Katelynn Linder3Romulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves4Federico Costa5Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, R. Basílio da Gama, s/n—Canela, Salvador 40110-040, BrazilInstituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, R. Basílio da Gama, s/n—Canela, Salvador 40110-040, BrazilFaculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Campus Tancredo Neves, Universidade Salvador (UNIFACS), Av. Tancredo Neves, 2131—Caminho das Árvores, Salvador 41820-021, BrazilHarvard Law School, 1585 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Rua Baraúnas, 351—Bairro Universitário, Campina Grande 58429-500, BrazilInstituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, R. Basílio da Gama, s/n—Canela, Salvador 40110-040, BrazilThe practice of consuming wild fauna in Brazil is both culturally and socioeconomically questionable. Wild animals and their byproducts are sought for nutritional, medicinal, and/or supernatural reasons, with some taxa (e.g., songbirds) being kept as pets. This practice is concentrated in traditional and rural communities, as well as the rural exodus populations in large urban centers, maintained both by cultural preferences and for their role in food safety in part of the rural exodus community. A total of 564 taxa are known to be sold in wet markets in Brazil, with birds, fish, and mammals being the most commonly listed. There is great zoonotic outbreak potential in this consumption chain given the diversity of species involved (with several listed being known reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens), invasion of wild environments for hunting, unsanitary processing of carcasses, and consumption of most/all biotopes of the animal, as well as the creation of favorable conditions to cross-species pathogen transmission. Given its socioeconomic situation and the global trends in disease emergence, there is a risk of the future emergence of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in Brazil through wildlife consumption.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/3/222bushmeatwet markethuntingethnobiologyzoonosiszootherapy |
| spellingShingle | Caio Graco Zeppelini Ianei de Oliveira Carneiro Poliana Mascarenhas de Abreu Ann Katelynn Linder Romulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves Federico Costa Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? Pathogens bushmeat wet market hunting ethnobiology zoonosis zootherapy |
| title | Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? |
| title_full | Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? |
| title_fullStr | Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? |
| title_short | Wildlife as Food and Medicine in Brazil: A Neglected Zoonotic Risk? |
| title_sort | wildlife as food and medicine in brazil a neglected zoonotic risk |
| topic | bushmeat wet market hunting ethnobiology zoonosis zootherapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/3/222 |
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