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Spatio-Temporal Trends of Iberian Wild Boar Contact with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Detected by ELISA

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Abstract

The continuing expansion of Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations raises concerns regarding disease transmission. In south-central Spain, overabundant wild boar are reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis, and related members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), the causative agents of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using bovine-purified protein derivative was applied to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of wild boar contact with MTBC in the Iberian Peninsula and to model and identify the associated risk factors. Wild boar apparent seroprevalence was 22%. Seropositives were detected in 71% of 81 sites, including 23 sites where wildlife was thought to be bTB free. The results described a new geographic range of wild boar contact with MTBC and a stable prevalence in this wildlife reservoir that contrasts with the success of bTB control in cattle. Inference of which host (wild boar or cattle) is driving bTB maintenance was not possible with our correlational results. The possibility of a wild boar bTB emergence in non-endemic regions should urgently be taken into account to avoid a future scenario resembling the current situation in south-central Spain.

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Acknowledgments

The current study is a contribution to JCCM PPIC10-0226-0243, MCINN Plan Nacional I+D+i AGL2008-03875, FAU2008-00004-C03 INIA and FEDER and to FP7 EU TB-STEP (212414). Studies on diseases shared between domestic animals and wildlife are also supported by Santander and Fundación Marcelino Botín, SDG Recursos Agrarios, Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio de la Comunidad de Madrid, JCCM, Principado de Asturias, Gobierno de Aragón. PA is currently holding a Juan de la Cierva research contract awarded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Fondo Social Europeo. Authors also thank Roger Vila and all colleagues that participated in the sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain

    Mariana Boadella, Joaquín Vicente, Julio Álvarez, Álvaro Oleaga, Jose de la Fuente & Christian Gortázar

  2. Biogeography, Diversity, and Conservation Research Team, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Málaga, 29071, Malaga, Spain

    Pelayo Acevedo

  3. Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Gregorio Mentaberre & Santiago Lavín

  4. SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Camino de Rioseco, 1225, 33394, Gijón, Asturias, Spain

    Ana Balseiro

  5. Departamento de Patología Animal, Universidad de Zaragoza, Miguel Servet, 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain

    MariCruz Arnal & David Martínez

  6. Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    Ignacio García-Bocanegra

  7. VISAVET and Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Carmen Casal

  8. Servicio de Sanidad Animal, Consellería do Medio Rural, Xunta de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Marta Muñoz

  9. Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino, C/Alfonso XII, 28014, Madrid, Spain

    Jose L. Sáez-Llorente

  10. Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Jose de la Fuente

Authors
  1. Mariana Boadella
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  2. Pelayo Acevedo
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  3. Joaquín Vicente
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  4. Gregorio Mentaberre
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  5. Ana Balseiro
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  6. MariCruz Arnal
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  7. David Martínez
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  8. Ignacio García-Bocanegra
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  9. Carmen Casal
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  10. Julio Álvarez
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  11. Álvaro Oleaga
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  12. Santiago Lavín
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  13. Marta Muñoz
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  14. Jose L. Sáez-Llorente
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  15. Jose de la Fuente
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  16. Christian Gortázar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mariana Boadella.

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Boadella, M., Acevedo, P., Vicente, J. et al. Spatio-Temporal Trends of Iberian Wild Boar Contact with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Detected by ELISA. EcoHealth 8, 478–484 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-011-0713-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-011-0713-y

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