In Japan, the first patient with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome was reported in Yamaguchi in 2012. To understand the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection ...in this region, a retrospective surveillance in sika deer and wild boar in Yamaguchi was conducted using a virus-neutralizing (VN) test. The result revealed that 510 of the 789 sika deer and 199 of the 517 wild boars were positive for anti-SFTSV antibodies. Interestingly, seroprevalence in sika deer increased significantly from 2010–2013 to 2015–2020. The SFTSV gene was detected in one of the 229 serum samples collected from sika deer, but not from wild boars. In conclusion, SFTSV had spread among wild animals before 2012 and expanded gradually around 2013–2015 in Yamaguchi.
For 10,000 years pigs and humans have shared a close and complex relationship. From domestication to modern breeding practices, humans have shaped the genomes of domestic pigs. Here we present the ...assembly and analysis of the genome sequence of a female domestic Duroc pig (Sus scrofa) and a comparison with the genomes of wild and domestic pigs from Europe and Asia. Wild pigs emerged in South East Asia and subsequently spread across Eurasia. Our results reveal a deep phylogenetic split between European and Asian wild boars ∼1 million years ago, and a selective sweep analysis indicates selection on genes involved in RNA processing and regulation. Genes associated with immune response and olfaction exhibit fast evolution. Pigs have the largest repertoire of functional olfactory receptor genes, reflecting the importance of smell in this scavenging animal. The pig genome sequence provides an important resource for further improvements of this important livestock species, and our identification of many putative disease-causing variants extends the potential of the pig as a biomedical model.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease that affects the domestic pig and wild boar population. The aim of this study was to describe the introduction and spread of the ASF virus in ...Western Europe (1960⁻1995) and in Eastern Europe (2007⁻2018), with particular emphasis on the current ASF situation in Poland and its challenges and future perspectives. The first ASF outbreak in Europe was reported in Portugal in 1957, with the virus spreading over most of Western Europe over the next 30 years. In Eastern Europe, the virus was first observed in Georgia in 2007, from where the disease spread quickly to other neighboring countries, reaching Poland in 2014. Since then, there have been 3341 confirmed cases in the wild boar population in Poland. Although there have been no confirmed cases of wild boars coming into contact with domestic pigs, the first notified case concerning domestic pigs was reported in July 2014. Since then, there have been a total of 213 confirmed outbreaks of ASF on Polish pig farms. Given the virulence of the ASF virus and the myriad of transmission routes across Europe, the monitoring of this disease must be a priority for Europe.
•The aim of this study was to identify the conflict between wild boars and vineyards in one of its production centers in Iran with the help of species distribution models (SDMs). Attempts were made ...to study the areas that have potential for conflict, considering influential factors such as land use/land cover and landform, as well as the aspect of conflict niche‐breath separately. Then, according to the role of predator (like canis lupus), the appropriate plane was suggested.
Boars with high reproduction, wide distribution, and adaptability have great potential to conflict with human interests. Malayer County, in Hamedan Province, is one of the economic hubs of grape production and related products in Iran. Considering that the county's economic growth is based on this horticultural product, this study was conducted to detect conflict-prone areas in different land use/cover (LULC) types and landforms. The ensemble model of attack risk was developed using single tree and regression models and 10 topographic, vegetation, and human variables. The significant difference between conflict/non-conflict points in the LULC and landform maps was checked using the Chi-square test. The results showed a significant difference in the occurrence of conflict in different LULC classes (P < 0.05). The NDVI, the distance from spring, and the distance from vineyards were the three variables with the greatest effect in all models. The widest niche-breadth conflict in the LULC and landform types belonged to gardens and u-shaped valleys (B1 = 0.60, B2 = 0.95; B1 = 0.35, B2 = 0.91, respectively Those gardens in deeply incised streams and u-shaped valleys have the highest potential for conflict (65.68%). Based on the findings, in the event of a conflict, those arrangements of structural elements of the land landscape are effective, which increase the species' accessibility to the vineyards while providing security. In this study, long and permanent vegetation such as groves can increase the vulnerability of marginal orchards and agricultural lands. Programs to reduce the conflict with wild boars should be based on local adaptations, prey relations, the improvement of traditional cultivation, and securing the vineyards in Malayer County.
Invasive species are a pervasive driver of global change with increasing media coverage. Media coverage and framing can influence both invasive species management and policies, as well as shed light ...on research needs. Using the wild boar (Sus scrofa) invasion in Argentina as a case study, we conducted a content analysis of media coverage and scientific articles. Specifically, we compared news and scientific articles based on their emphasis: ecological, economic, and health impacts and the overall perception portrayed in the news: "positive" when the articles emphasized benefits from wild boar and "negative" when focused on damage and/or loss. A literature search using Google news, Web of Science, Scielo, and Google Scholar yielded a total of 194 news articles and 37 research papers on wild boar in Argentina. More than half of the news articles focused on economic impacts of wild boar (56%) such as sport hunting, illegal hunting, and road accidents; while 27% focused on ecological impacts, and 10% on health impacts. In contrast, the majority of the scientific articles (65%) focused on ecological impacts of wild boar on native species and ecosystems; while 21% were related to health impacts and only 8.3% of scientific articles were related to economic impacts. This mismatch between media and science reveals a disconnection between social and scientific interests in wild boar and their management in Argentina, and it provides insights to research needs and prevention of management conflicts. Additionally, we found that 66.8% of news articles focused on "negative" aspects of wild boar, while 33.2% of news articles portrayed "positive" perceptions. This finding is very important because the management of invasive species such as wild boar usually requires lethal techniques, and the success of the programs depend on favorable social and political support. Good science communication is therefore key to helping scientists and managers perform more effective management actions.
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•Literature related to antimicrobial resistance of wild boar in Europe is reviewed.•Growing interest in antimicrobial resistance in wild boar is highlighted.•Wild boar are carriers of ...antimicrobial resistant bacteria.•Research trends and future directions are discussed.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognized as an emerging and growing problem worldwide. Knowledge concerning AMR bacteria circulating in wildlife is currently limited, although it could provide important insights into AMR emergence and persistence. Across Europe, wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations have dramatically increased their distribution and number over the last decades. In the context of AMR dynamics, wild boar is a perfect model species to unveil the emergence, spread and persistence of AMR at the human-livestock-wildlife interface. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the importance of wild boar as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and its possible use as sentinel species for surveillance. Analyses of available data showed a rising interest on this topic in the last years, highlighting the growing concern on wild boar potential role as AMR facilitator and it is foreseen that the importance of antimicrobial resistance research in wild boar will continue to increase in years to come. Available studieshave been focused on specific bacterial species, particularlyE. coli, Salmonellaspp. andEnterococcusspp., bioindicators of AMR, and have been mainly conducted in three countries: Spain, Portugal and Germany.Strikingly, AMR surveillance in wild boar is uneven and still poorly allocated as many wild boar high-density countries do not yet have publications on the topic.Overall, accumulated data showed thatwild boar are carriers of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, withvariation in the prevalence of bacterial species and thepercentage of resistance to different antibiotics. Thelack of harmonized sampling and testing protocols makes it difficult to compare AMR in wild boar.The need for the establishment of standardised protocols keen to provide quantitative comparable data is highlighted. We finally suggest the long-term monitoring of wild boar as a sentinel species for AMR surveillance in order to inform public policies on this topic.
The monitors have recently been defined as the organisms in which changes in known characteristics can be measured to assess the extent of the environmental contamination. Among the numerous game ...species, the wild boar as omnivore is characterized as an exceptionally good biomonitor. The concentrations of one heavy metal (Hg) and one metalloid (As) were measured using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometer and atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the liver tissue of free-living wild boars. From 11 hunting areas locations that cover the whole territory of North Macedonia in a period of 7 years (2016-2022) a total of 608 wild boar liver samples were harvested during the regular hunting season. The mean concentration of Hg from 11 hunting grounds ranged from 12.7 μg/kg to 68.8 μg/kg, and mean concentration for all was 45.67 μg/kg. The average concentration of As ranged from 22 μg/kg to 55.3 μg/kg, and mean concentration for all was 33.1 μg/kg. For mercury, 6.56% or 40 of the total number of samples (608) exceeded the maximum allowed limits, and for arsenic none of the examined samples exceeded the allowed limit. For both elements a statistically significant difference was determined in relation to the years, with irregular oscillations from year to year. The mean values for mercury and arsenic are encouraging and generally indicate the relatively low contamination in the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia. However, the statistical differences due to the year as a factor suggest there is the need for the further research.
Monitori su nedavno definirani kao organizmi kod kojih se promjene poznatih karakteristika mogu mjeriti kako bi se procijenio opseg onečišćenja okoliša. Među brojnim vrstama divljači, divlja svinja kao svejed okarakterizirana je kao iznimno dobar biomonitor. Koncentracije jednog teškog metala (Hg) i jednog metaloida (As) izmjerene su pomoću atomskog apsorpcijskog spektrometra s hladnom parom i atomske apsorpcijske spektrofotometrije u tkivu jetre divljih svinja. Iz 11 lovnih područja koja pokrivaju cijeli teritorij Sjeverne Makedonije u razdoblju od 7 godina (2016-2022) uzeto je ukupno 608 uzoraka jetre divlje svinje izlovljene tijekom redovne lovne sezone. Srednja koncentracija Hg iz 11 lovnih područja, kretala se od 12,7 μg/kg do 68,8 μg/kg, a srednja koncentracija za sva je bila 45,67 μg/kg. Prosječna koncentracija As kretala se od 22 μg/kg do 55,3 μg/kg, a srednja koncentracija za sve je bila 33,1 μg/kg. Koncentracija žive je kod 6,56% (40) uzoraka prekoračila dopuštenu granicu, dok za arsen ni jedan ispitani uzorak nije prekoračio dopuštenu granicu. Za oba elementa utvrđena je statistički značajna razlika u odnosu na godine, s nepravilnim oscilacijama iz godine u godinu. Srednje vrijednosti za živu i arsen su ohrabrujuće i općenito ukazuju na relativno nisku kontaminaciju na području Republike Sjeverne Makedonije. Međutim, statističke razlike zbog godine kao faktora ukazuju na potrebu za daljnjim istraživanjem.
1. The eruption of invasive wild pigs (IWPs) Sus scrofa throughout the world exemplifies the need to understand the influences of exotic and nonnative species expansions. In particular, the ...continental USA is precariously threatened by a rapid expansion of IWPs, and a better understanding of the rate and process of spread can inform strategies that will limit the expansion. 2. We developed a spatially and temporally dynamic model to examine three decades (1982-2012) of IWP expansion, and predict the spread of IWPs throughout the continental USA, relative to where IWPs previously inhabited. We used the model to predict where IWPs are likely to invade next. 3. The average rate of northward expansion increased from 6·5 to 12·6 km per year, suggesting most counties in the continental USA could be inhabited within the next 3-5 decades. The spread of IWPs was primarily associated with expansion into areas with similar environmental characteristics as their previous range, with the exception of spreading into colder regions. We identified that climate change may assist spread into northern regions by generating milder winters with less snow. Otherwise, the spread of IWPs was not dependent on agriculture, precipitation or biodiversity at the county level. The model correctly predicted 86% of counties that were invaded during 2012, and those predictions indicate that large portions of the USA are in immediate danger of invasion. 4. Synthesis and applications. Anti-invasion efforts should focus along the boundaries of current occupied range to stop natural expansion, and anti-invasion policies should focus on stopping anthropogenic transport and release of invasive wild pigs. Our results demonstrate the utility of a spatio-temporal examination to inform strategies for limiting the spread of invasive wild pigs.
Radionuclide contamination is a serious health issue caused by nuclear experiments and plant accidents, as seen for the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear plants. Italy has been especially interested in ...northwestern alpine regions, as have several other nations. The aim of this work was to indagate .sup.134 Cs and .sup.137 Cs contamination in wild boars, which were considered bioindicators sampled in the Chisone/Germanasca Valley and the Pellice Valley districts (Piedmont, Italy) in two hunting seasons (2014 and 2016). In the 2014 season, only the livers of the animals (n = 48) were sampled, whereas in 2016, five different anatomical sampling sites were sampled for each animal (n = 16). The analyses were conducted in an accredited laboratory (Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente-ARPA) by the aid of an HPGe detector (Ortec) with a relative efficiency of 50%. In general, the contamination levels registered in 2014 were under the detection limit for .sup.134 Cs and low for .sup.137 Cs (Chisone/Germanasca valley: min: 0.0, max: 23.9 median 11.0 Bq/kg vs Pellice valley: min 0, max: 31.7, median: 9.6 Bq/kg) and no health concern can be supposed. In the first-year samples, the liver showed a negative correlation between age and contamination level. In the second year of sampling, low levels were confirmed (min: 3.1 Bq/kg, max: 113.3; median 17.7 Bq/kg). Multiple sampling from the same animal showed that the diaphragm (median = 27.7 Bq/kg) kidney (27.4) and tongue (27.6) were more contaminated than the liver (17.7) and spleen (15.3). Moreover, a linear mixed model revealed a negative organ-by-age interaction, meaning that interorgan differences in contamination level were greater in younger (5-11 months) than in older (18-36 months) animals. Different feeding habits can be the explanation. Our paper shows that muscle sites (diaphragm and tongue) can be useful for radionuclide pollution surveillance in wild boar populations and that younger animals show more interorgan variability in contamination levels than older animals. More investigations are needed to confirm this correlation and to fulfill the request for more data to achieve better risk assessment.
Resource distribution, predation risk and disturbance in space and time can affect how animals use their environment. To date few studies have assessed the spatiotemporal trade-off between resource ...acquisition and avoidance of risks and human disturbance in small protected areas embedded in an urban matrix. A better understanding of the forage-safety trade-off in urban protected areas (UPA) is key to the design of evidence-based approaches to deal with the ever-increasing human-wildlife impacts typical of UPA. Herein, we analyzed camera trap data to evaluate how two ungulate species trade fear for food in a 60 km2 human-dominated UPA without natural predators. We found that wild boar (Sus scrofa) were predominantly active at night, while roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) showed a typical bimodal crepuscular activity pattern. Occupancy analysis indicated that deciduous forest and the presence of high seats for hunting played an important role in determining the space use of wild boar. For roe deer, we found indications that the presence of forest influenced space use, although the null model was retained among the top ranked models. Our results confirm that wild boar and roe deer are able to thrive in heavily human dominated landscapes characterized by intensive recreational use and hunting, such as protected areas embedded in an urban matrix.
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•We studied wild boar and roe deer activity and space use in an urban protected area.•Wild boar were nocturnal, while roe deer were crepuscular.•Forest availability was the main driver of wild boar and roe deer space use.•Behavioural adaptations resembled those found in similarly urbanized landscapes.•Wild boar and roe deer are able to thrive despite intensive recreation and hunting.
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