Abstract
African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most complex and significant diseases from a sanitary-economic perspective currently affecting the world's swine-farming industry. ASF has been endemic in Sardinia (Italy) since 1978, and several control and eradication programmes have met with limited success. In this traditional ASF endemic area, there are three susceptible host populations for this virus sharing the same habitat: wild boar, farmed domestic pigs and non-registered free-ranging pigs (known as "brado" animals). The main goal of this study was to determine and predict fine-scale spatial interactions of this multi-host system in relation to the epidemiology of ASF in the main endemic area of Sardinia, Montes-Orgosolo. To this end, simultaneous monitoring of GPS-GSM collared wild boar and free-ranging pigs sightings were performed to predict interaction indexes through latent selection difference functions with environmental, human and farming factors. Regarding epidemiological assessment, the spatial inter-specific interaction indexes obtained here were used to correlate ASF notifications in wild boar and domestic pig farms. Daily movement patterns, home ranges (between 120.7 and 2,622.8 ha) and resource selection of wild boar were obtained for the first time on the island. Overall, our prediction model showed the highest spatial interactions between wild boar and free-ranging pigs in areas close to pig farms. A spatially explicit model was obtained to map inter-specific interaction over the complete ASF-endemic area of the island. Our approach to monitoring interaction indexes may help explain the occurrence of ASF notifications in wild boar and domestic pigs on a fine-spatial scale. These results support the recent and effective eradication measures taken in Sardinia. In addition, this methodology could be extrapolated to apply in the current epidemiological scenarios of ASF in Eurasia, where exist multi-host systems involving free-ranging pigs and wild boar.
Highlights
Wild and domestic suids act as reservoirs and potential carriers of many infectious diseases that come into regular contact with livestock and human [1]
The lack of treatments or vaccines makes African swine fever (ASF) control and eradication a challenge, such that rapid detection of outbreaks and establishment of strict sanitary measures are the most relevant tools for controlling ASF [5]. These measures are insufficient to control ASF when wildlife are largely affected, such as in the current epidemical situation in the European Union (EU) [6], where more than 90% of notifications are from wild boar [7], or in the island of Sardinia (Italy), where ASF has been endemic for four decades, in which wild boar and other free-ranging host are involved in the maintenance of the disease [8]
This study assessed spatial interactions between wild boar and free-ranging pigs in a region where ASF has remained endemic for the longest time outside Africa
Summary
Wild and domestic suids act as reservoirs and potential carriers of many infectious diseases that come into regular contact with livestock and human [1]. The lack of treatments or vaccines makes ASF control and eradication a challenge, such that rapid detection of outbreaks and establishment of strict sanitary measures are the most relevant tools for controlling ASF [5] These measures are insufficient to control ASF when wildlife are largely affected, such as in the current epidemical situation in the European Union (EU) [6], where more than 90% of notifications are from wild boar [7], or in the island of Sardinia (Italy), where ASF has been endemic for four decades, in which wild boar and other free-ranging host are involved in the maintenance of the disease [8]. The retrospective spatial information in the epidemiological scenario of ASF in Sardinia could be used to assess the risk factors associated with interactions areas between suids susceptible host populations; and to use this understanding in the current scenarios of ASFV in Eurasia
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