Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda
Bushmeat hunting and consumption, although widely utilized as necessary supplement to household income and nutrition in many regions, presents threats to public health and wildlife conservation efforts. In northern Uganda, consumption of bats and primates, two wildlife groups often implicated in zoo...
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doaj-b34c5ac4eb004d788e14124ce6d93f412021-04-30T07:23:03ZengElsevierOne Health2352-77142021-12-0113100251Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern UgandaBreeAnna Dell0Charles Masembe1Richard Gerhold2Adam Willcox3Chika Okafor4Marcy Souza5The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Knoxville, TN, USA; Corresponding author at: 1112 Riverside Drive, Nashville, TN 37206, USA.Makerere University College of Natural Sciences, Kampala, UgandaThe University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Knoxville, TN, USAThe University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Knoxville, TN, USAThe University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Knoxville, TN, USAThe University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Knoxville, TN, USABushmeat hunting and consumption, although widely utilized as necessary supplement to household income and nutrition in many regions, presents threats to public health and wildlife conservation efforts. In northern Uganda, consumption of bats and primates, two wildlife groups often implicated in zoonotic disease emergence, is not widely culturally accepted; however, these species are reported by hunters to often be hunted and sold as culturally desirable species, like antelope and warthog. To investigate the prevalence of market bushmeat misidentifiction, we collected 229 bushmeat samples from 23 communities adjacent to Murchison Falls National Park. Reported species was recorded on acquisition for each sample. PCR targeting mammalian cyt b and 12 s rRNA genes and sequencing were performed to identify samples to the lowest taxonomic unit using NCBI BLAST. Overall, 27.9% (61/219) of samples had disparate results between species reported and BLAST analysis. Thirty-four species were identified, with the most frequent wildlife being waterbuck (31.5%), warthog (13.7%), and black rat (5.9%). These data reveal a public health risk for bushmeat consumers in northern Uganda as they cannot assess species-related risk when purchasing bushmeat and take appropriate precautions against zoonotic pathogen exposure. These data also provide insight into regional hunter prey preference and market preference of local community members which may inform conservation strategy in the region.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771421000410BushmeatConservationFood safetyMurchison fallsNational parksPCR |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
BreeAnna Dell Charles Masembe Richard Gerhold Adam Willcox Chika Okafor Marcy Souza |
spellingShingle |
BreeAnna Dell Charles Masembe Richard Gerhold Adam Willcox Chika Okafor Marcy Souza Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda One Health Bushmeat Conservation Food safety Murchison falls National parks PCR |
author_facet |
BreeAnna Dell Charles Masembe Richard Gerhold Adam Willcox Chika Okafor Marcy Souza |
author_sort |
BreeAnna Dell |
title |
Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda |
title_short |
Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda |
title_full |
Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda |
title_fullStr |
Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda |
title_full_unstemmed |
Species misidentification in local markets: Discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern Uganda |
title_sort |
species misidentification in local markets: discrepancies between reporting and molecular identification of bushmeat species in northern uganda |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
One Health |
issn |
2352-7714 |
publishDate |
2021-12-01 |
description |
Bushmeat hunting and consumption, although widely utilized as necessary supplement to household income and nutrition in many regions, presents threats to public health and wildlife conservation efforts. In northern Uganda, consumption of bats and primates, two wildlife groups often implicated in zoonotic disease emergence, is not widely culturally accepted; however, these species are reported by hunters to often be hunted and sold as culturally desirable species, like antelope and warthog. To investigate the prevalence of market bushmeat misidentifiction, we collected 229 bushmeat samples from 23 communities adjacent to Murchison Falls National Park. Reported species was recorded on acquisition for each sample. PCR targeting mammalian cyt b and 12 s rRNA genes and sequencing were performed to identify samples to the lowest taxonomic unit using NCBI BLAST. Overall, 27.9% (61/219) of samples had disparate results between species reported and BLAST analysis. Thirty-four species were identified, with the most frequent wildlife being waterbuck (31.5%), warthog (13.7%), and black rat (5.9%). These data reveal a public health risk for bushmeat consumers in northern Uganda as they cannot assess species-related risk when purchasing bushmeat and take appropriate precautions against zoonotic pathogen exposure. These data also provide insight into regional hunter prey preference and market preference of local community members which may inform conservation strategy in the region. |
topic |
Bushmeat Conservation Food safety Murchison falls National parks PCR |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771421000410 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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