16S rRNA from bushmeat samples (multispecies) collected from Tanzania Metagenome

Bushmeat, meat from wildlife species, is a source of animal protein that is harvested (mostly illegally) in many parts of Africa and is consumed locally, but also often smuggled into the US and Western Europe. To help define the role of bushmeat as a vehicle for transmitting zoonotic pathogens, our project has initiated a program to map the distribution of select agents in bushmeat in three major wildlife ecosystems in Tanzania to capture the extent of spatial and seasonal variation in pathogen prevalence. Applying a stratified random sampling design, more than 3700 samples of bushmeat from villages and surrounding markets in the targeted ecosystems (Serengeti, Ruaha, Selous) were collected and analyzed for the prevalence of select agents Bacillus anthracis, Brucella and Coxiella using PCR-based techniques. In addition, a subset of samples was processed for 16S rDNA-based microbiome. In the long-term, our research will provide a rational basis for defining and mitigating the public health risk associated with bushmeat harvesting, trade, and consumption.