Public health risks of traditional zootherapeutic practices in Africa.

ABSTRACT: Over five billion people globally, primarily rely on a plant- and animal-based pharmacopoeia. The topical application, injection, or ingestion of animal products - such as excreta, blood, or meat - likely facilitates the spillover of zoonotic pathogens. Certain practices use species known to be involved in the transmission of pathogens of public health relevance, such as filoviruses, poxviruses, or coronaviruses. This article aims to review zootherapeutic practices and the public health risk they entail for the African continent. We first conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature published until July 30th, 2023. We then created a categorical score reflecting the risk of zoonotic pathogen spillover for each recorded practice and compared this risk between regions and demogr

SUBMITTER: Fourchault L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12765085 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature