Screening for Viral Pathogens in African Simian Bushmeat Seized at A French Airport.

Summary Illegal bushmeattraffic is an important threat to biodiversity conservation of several endangered speciesand may contribute to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in humans. The hunting, manipulation and consumption of wildlife-based products, especially those of primate origin, may be a threat to human health; however, few studies have investigated the role of bushmeattrade and consumption as a potential source of human infections to date. In this study, we report the screening of viral pathogens in African simiangame seized by French customs at Toulouse Blagnac Airport. Epifluorescence microscopy revealed the presence of virus-like particlesin the samples, and further metagenomicsequencing of the DNA and RNA viromes confirmed the presence of sequences related to the Siphoviridae, Myoviridaeand Podoviridaebacteriophage families; some of them infecting bacterial hosts that could be potentially pathogenic for humans. To increase the sensitivity of detection, twelve pan-generic PCRs targeting several viral zoonoses were performed, but no positive signal was detected. A large-scale inventory of bacteria, viruses and parasites is urgently needed to globally assess the risk for human health of the trade, manipulation and consumption of wildlife-related bushmeat.