Going batty: US bat imports raise concerns for species conservation and human health

The relationship between bats (order: Chiroptera) and humans is complex, highly contextualized across the globe, and dynamic. We assessed the United States (US) importation of live bats, as well as bat-derived products, from bat conservation and human health (zoonotic disease) perspectives. From 2015 to 2023, at least 284 bat species were imported into the US from at least 106 countries of origin, predominantly Indonesia. Scientific use was the most frequently declared import purpose. According to the IUCN Red List, thirty-seven of these bat species are extinction vulnerable. An investigation of US-based e-commerce platforms for live bats and bat-derived products located ads for 28 bat species for sale, including one for which trade is prohibited. Considering zoonotic spillover risk, we identified host-pathogen associations between 106 reported bat species imports and 45 zoonotic RNA viruses, representing 11 viral families. Twenty-five of the 45 viruses for which we found bat associations are listed as pathogens of concern by the World Health Organization or by US federal agencies. Rabies is the most hosted virus among bat species in our studies, followed by Dengue virus. We discuss the implications of our findings, as well as make recommendations for improving the science and policy necessary to mitigate trade-driven risks to bat and human populations. There is a need for ongoing assessments of bat population viability, as well as pathogen surveillance along the bat trade pathway. Greater attention by regulatory agencies is warranted to mitigate bat conservation and zoonotic pathogen risks apparent in e-commerce pathways. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other multilateral environmental agreements could bring this issue to the forefront of member countries as part of the emerging global agenda at the conservation-zoonotic disease interface.