Presence ofSalmonellaspp.,Yersinia enterocolitica,Yersinia pseudotuberculosisandEscherichia coliO157:H7 in wild boars

Abstract

The European wild boar populations are growing and spreading to new areas, which might constitute a threat to public health, since wild boar can harbour pathogens with the potential to cause serious illness in humans. Tonsils, ileocaecal lymph nodes and faecal samples were collected from 88 Swedish wild boars and analysed for the presence of the zoonotic pathogens Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC). A combination of cultivation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis was used and overall, 20% of sampled individuals tested positive for Y. enterocolitica, 20% for Y. pseudotuberculosis and 10% for Salmonella spp. A total of 41% of sampled individuals tested positive for one or more of these three pathogens. No EHEC were detected. Samples PCR-positive for Salmonella spp. were cultivated further and six isolates were obtained, belonging to Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica and subspecies diarizone. The pathogens were most commonly detected in tonsil samples.

Estimates of the burden of illness for eight enteric pathogens associated with animal contact in Canada

“…Garden birds, playgrounds and beach sand activities may be environments where wild birds and human behavior intersect causing illness [65,66]. Rural wildlife exposure through hunting is also a potential route of transmission and there is evidence that exposure to deer and wild boars may be a source for shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Y. enterocolitica [67][68][69].…”

Is your lunch salad safe to eat? Occurrence of bacterial pathogens and potential for pathogen growth in pre-packed ready-to-eat mixed-ingredient salads

“…In a field environment, grazing livestock, wild animals, birds and insects are natural inhabitants and, since these may carry human pathogens [16–21], contamination of leafy vegetables can never be completely avoided. Irrigation water has been suggested as the major source of enteric pathogen contamination in leafy vegetables [22].…”

Serological Prevalence of Enteropathogenic Yersinia spp. in Pigs and Wild Boars from Different Production Systems in the Moravian Region, Czech Republic

“…Wild boars appear to be frequent carriers of foodborne pathogens, including both pathogenic Yersinia spp. (Al Dahouk et al, 2005;Sannö et al, 2014). Y. enterocolitica is more frequently detected but the prevalence of Y. pseudotuberculosis is also high because of frequent contact with wild animals, pests, and the outside environment (Laukkanen et al, 2008;Fredriksson-Ahomaa et al, 2009;Sannö et al, 2014).…”

“…Pigs are considered as the most important reservoir of human pathogenic Y. enterocolitica, but both enteropathogenic yersiniae have been found in domestic and feral pigs (Fredriksson-Ahomaa et al, 2009;Novoslavskij et al, 2013;Sannö et al, 2014). Pigs are mostly asymptomatic carriers with the presence of bacteria in the tonsils and intestinal contents (Nesbakken et al, 2006;Laukkanen et al, 2008;, and infected pigs cannot be distinguished using ante-and postmortem meat inspection practices.…”

“…Wild boars represent a reservoir of many pathogenic agents, including Yersinia for domestic animals and for humans (Wacheck et al, 2010;Sannö et al, 2014). The enduring popularity of outdoor farming of domestic pigs may raise the risk of contact between wild and domestic animals and the risk of pathogen transmission.…”