Author
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Stoffregen, William |
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Olsen, Steven |
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WHEELER, JACK - APHIS |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2003 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Feral swine, which have been deemed an invasive species by executive order, are present in at least 25 US states with the largest concentration being located in the Southeast. Exact population estimates are difficult to ascertain; however, the number and range of feral swine is dramatically increasing due to natural population dynamics and an increasing popularity as a game species in many parts of the US. Existing populations include Eurasian boars, North American feral swine, collared peccaries, and isolated pockets of recently released domestic swine. While brucellosis has been nearly eradicated in the US domestic swine population, brucellosis has been reported in these wild suid populations in at least 14 states based primarily on serologic surveillance and is endemic in many of these populations. Limited culture work has shown that both Brucella suis biovars 1 and 3 exist in these swine. These infected populations continue to be a source of zoonoses for hunters, capture station workers, and feral swine processing plant workers. These swine also have the potential to infect domestic livestock, and feral swine to domestic swine and feral swine to cattle transmissions of brucellosis have been documented. Current research efforts have been targeted toward controlling the feral swine population dynamics and developing an efficacious Brucella vaccine. An overview of feral swine brucellosis and existing research efforts will be presented. |
