Publication:
Wild boar tuberculosis in Iberian Atlantic Spain: a different picture from Mediterranean habitats

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Full text at PDC
Publication Date
2013-09-08
Authors
Muñoz Mendoza, Marta
Marreros, Nelson
Boadella, Mariana
Gortázar, Christian
Menéndez, Santiago
Juan Ferré, Lucía de
Copano, María Francisca
Amado, Javier
Advisors (or tutors)
Editors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMedCentral
Citations
Google Scholar
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infections with Mycobacterium bovis and closely related members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) are shared between livestock, wildlife and sporadically human beings. Wildlife reservoirs exist worldwide and can interfere with bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication efforts. The Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a MTC maintenance host in Mediterranean Iberia (Spain and Portugal). However, few systematic studies in wild boar have been carried out in Atlantic regions. We describe the prevalence, distribution, pathology and epidemiology of MTC and other mycobacteria from wild boar in Atlantic Spain. A total of 2,067 wild boar were sampled between 2008 and 2012. RESULTS The results provide insight into the current status of wild boar as MTC and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) hosts in temperate regions of continental Europe. The main findings were a low TB prevalence (2.6%), a low proportion of MTC infected wild boar displaying generalized TB lesions (16.7%), and a higher proportion of MAC infections (4.5%). Molecular typing revealed epidemiological links between wild boar and domestic - cattle, sheep and goat - and other wildlife - Eurasian badger (Meles meles) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) - hosts. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that the likelihood of MTC excretion by wild boar in Atlantic habitats is much lower than in Mediterranean areas. However, wild boar provide a good indicator of MTC circulation and, given the current re-emergence of animal TB, similar large-scale surveys would be advisable in other Atlantic regions of continental Europe.
Description
UCM subjects
Keywords
Citation
Collections