Cross-species transmission potential between wild pigs, livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans: implications for disease risk management in North America

Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 10;7(1):7821. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-07336-z.

Abstract

Cross-species disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals and humans is an increasing threat to public and veterinary health. Wild pigs are increasingly a potential veterinary and public health threat. Here we investigate 84 pathogens and the host species most at risk for transmission with wild pigs using a network approach. We assess the risk to agricultural and human health by evaluating the status of these pathogens and the co-occurrence of wild pigs, agriculture and humans. We identified 34 (87%) OIE listed swine pathogens that cause clinical disease in livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans. On average 73% of bacterial, 39% of viral, and 63% of parasitic pathogens caused clinical disease in other species. Non-porcine livestock in the family Bovidae shared the most pathogens with swine (82%). Only 49% of currently listed OIE domestic swine diseases had published wild pig surveillance studies. The co-occurrence of wild pigs and farms increased annually at a rate of 1.2% with as much as 57% of all farms and 77% of all agricultural animals co-occurring with wild pigs. The increasing co-occurrence of wild pigs with livestock and humans along with the large number of pathogens shared is a growing risk for cross-species transmission.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Domestic
  • Animals, Wild / microbiology
  • Animals, Wild / parasitology
  • Communicable Diseases, Emerging / transmission*
  • Humans
  • Livestock
  • North America / epidemiology
  • Poultry
  • Public Health
  • Risk Management
  • Sus scrofa
  • Swine
  • Swine Diseases / microbiology*
  • Swine Diseases / parasitology*
  • Zoonoses / transmission*