Detection of selected pathogens in reproductive tissues of wild boars in the Campania region, southern Italy

Abstract

Monitoring disease among wildlife is critical to preserving health in both domestic animals and wildlife, and it becomes much more critical when the diseases cause significant economic damage to the livestock industry or threaten public health. Given the continuous increase in populations and its role as a reservoir for several infections, wild boar (Sus scrofa) requires special attention regarding disease surveillance and monitoring. In this study, we investigated the molecular prevalence of selected pathogens in the wild boar population of Campania, southern Italy. The prevalence of pathogens causing reproductive problems in pigs (Sus domesticus), including porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine circovirus types 2 and 3 (PCV-2 and PCV-3), pseudorabies virus (PRV), Coxiella burnetii, and Brucella suis, was evaluated by testing the reproductive organs collected from 63 wild boars with polymerase chain reaction. The most common pathogens were PPV (44.4%) and two porcine circoviruses (14.3%). PRV and C. burnetii, on the other hand, showed a significantly lower prevalence (1.6%). No reproductive organs tested were positive for B. suis. Risk factor analysis revealed a correlation between age and PCV-2 positivity, with animals less than 12 months old having significantly higher prevalence rates.Our findings suggest that wild boars hunted in the Campania region harbour several infections potentially transmissible to other mammals’ reproductive tracts. Furthermore, our results emphasized the importance of strict adherence to biosecurity protocols on domestic swine farms, especially on free-range farms, to avoid interactions between domestic and wild animals.

A pseudorabies outbreak in hunting dogs in Campania region (Italy): a case presentation and epidemiological survey

“…Campania has a large wild boar population and hunting is considered a common practice. Previous studies revealed a seroprevalence of 23.85% and a molecular prevalence of 1.6% in reproductive tissues among hunted wild boars, highlighting the risk of infection for hunting dogs from this region [ 6 , 9 ]. The infection is also still present in the population of domestic pigs on Italian territory.…”

“…AD has not yet completely eradicated in the Campania region [ 6 ]. Additionally, PRV has been demonstrated to be highly prevalent in wild boar in the Campania region, representing an important issue for dead-end hosts [ 6 , 9 ].…”