Tuberculosis-Associated Death among Adult Wild Boars, Spain, 2009-2014.

Jose A Barasona,Pelayo Acevedo,Joao Queiros,Iratxe Diez-Delgado,Christian Gortazar,Ricardo Carrasco-García,Joaquín Vicente

doi:10.3201/eid2212.160677

Abstract

We investigated adult Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) survival and death in 2 tuberculosis-endemic populations with different harvest pressure in Spain. Overall, tuberculosis accounted for 30% of total deaths. Increased survival in protected areas has direct implications for wild boar management and tuberculosis control.

Highlights

We investigated adult Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) survival and death in 2 tuberculosis-endemic populations with different harvest pressure in Spain
We aimed to 1) describe the rates and causes of adult wild boar death and 2) compare the total death and its causes in 2 TB-endemic regions that differ in harvest pressure
We found no differences in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) serum antibody prevalence between study sites (p>0.05 by Fisher exact test) and no differences in survival time between antibody-positive and -negative wild boars (p>0.05 by Mann-Whitney U test)

Summary

Introduction

We investigated adult Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) survival and death in 2 tuberculosis-endemic populations with different harvest pressure in Spain. Determining the death rates for wild boar and unfolding the relative contribution of several causes of death and their nature (additive vs compensatory death) is key to predicting the effects of harvesting, predation, and disease on population dynamics over time and to develop disease control–oriented hunting strategies. In the context of growing and expanding wild boar populations and of increasing concern about the effect of wild boar infections [10], we hypothesized that TB could be a major component of total wild boar death in Spain and have implications for TB control and wildlife management. The 18 retrieved carcasses underwent a full postmortem examination, and tissue samples (pooled lymph nodes and lung) were submitted for culture (online Technical Appendix)

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion