Pangolins and Pathogens
Pangolin trade now endangers all species of pangolin in the world. This trade is driven by demand for scales in Asia but impacts both Asian and African species broadly. In 2020, a coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2 was identified in pangolins seized in the trade in China. This compelled a research project to study pangolin ecology, trade, and associated pathogens. This research was supported by a Research Impact Fund award and was a joint project run by the Schools of Biological Sciences and Public Health at HKU and supported by WWF HK and ADMCF. In addition to understanding the trade, we are also studying the ecology and conservation of the Chinese pangolin population in Hong Kong.
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Wong PY-H, Chen Y, Prigge T-L, Zhang H, Rose-Jeffreys L, Ades G, Duya MRM, Fontanilla IKC, Kanwal A, Fayeeja NI, Ng LKP, Yeung S, Lam TTY, Momigliano P, Bonebrake TC (2026) Seizure samples reveal complex evolutionary dynamics among Southeast Asian pangolins. Heredity, doi:10.1038/s41437-026-00826-9
Worthington BM, Wong PY-H, Kumaree KK, Prigge T-L, Ng KH, Liao Y, Martelli P, Churgin S, Lee FK, Perkins C, Bradley M, Pierce MP, Shum MH-H, Miot EF, Cheung WY-M, McIlroy SE, Nash HC, Wirdateti, Semiadi G, Tan C-W, Wang L-F, Ades G, Baker DM, Dingle C, Pybus OG, Holmes EC, Leung GM, Guan Y, Zhu H, Bonebrake TC, Lam TTY (2024) Serological evidence of sarbecovirus exposure along Sunda pangolin trafficking pathways. BMC Biology, 22, 274
Tinsman J, Gruppi C, Bossu CM, Prigge T-L, Harrigan RJ, Zaunbrecher V, Koepfli K-P, LeBreton M, Njabo K, Wenda C, Xing S, Abernethy K, Ades G, Akeredolu E, Andrew IB, Barrett TA, Bernáthová I, Černá Bolfíková B, Diffo JL, Difouo GF, Esong Ebong L, Godwill I, Flore Koumba Pambo A, Labuschagne K, Momboua BR, Mousset Moumbolou CL, Ntie S, Nwobegahay J, Rose-Jeffreys E, Simo FT, Sundar K, Swiacká M, Takuo JM, Talla VNK, Tamoufe U, Dingle C, Ruegg K, Bonebrake TC, Smith TB (2023) Genomic analyses reveal poaching hotspots and illegal trade in pangolins from Africa to Asia. Science, 382, 1282–1286
