(NewsNation) — Humans pass more viruses to domestic and wild animals than we contract from them, according to a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Researchers looked at nearly 12 million virus genomes and detected almost 3,000 instances of viruses jumping from one species to another. About 21% of those involved humans, of which 64% were human-to-animal transmissions. This is about twice as much as instances of viruses transmitted from animals to humans.
Wild animals in particular are more likely to experience human-to-animal transmission than the other way around, according to the study.
“This really highlights our enormous impact on the environment and the animals around us,” said Cedric Tan, a doctoral student in computational biology at the University College London Genetics Institute, lead author of the study.
“Viruses can jump between different species via the same modes of transmission that apply to humans, including direct contact with infected fluids, or getting bitten by other species, amongst others,” Tan added.
The animals affected by anthroponosis included pets such as cats and dogs, domesticated animals such as pigs, horses and cattle, birds such as chickens and ducks, primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas and howler monkeys, and other wild animals such as raccoons, the black-tufted marmoset and the African soft-furred mouse.
Over the millennia, pandemics that have killed millions of people have been caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi that crossed over to people from animals. Zoonosis has been the primary concern concerning dangerous emerging infectious diseases.