Diseases are being spread around the world by the trade in donkey skins, according to a new report from The Donkey Sanctuary. More than 4.8 million donkeys are traded and slaughtered for their skins each year.
The report, Biosecurity Risks and Implications for Human & Animal Health on a Global Scale, details tests by the International Livestock Research Institute which found multiple skins contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and African horse sickness (AHS).
In the case of S.aureus contaminated skins, 44 of 108 tested were found to be carrying the drug-resistant MRSA variant, and three of the positive samples were carrying the PVL-toxin – known to cause invasive necrotising diseases in humans.
