How to translate text using browser tools
30 November 2022 Retrospective Serosurvey of Three Porcine Coronaviruses among the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Population in the Campania Region of Italy
Gianmarco Ferrara, Francesca Paola Nocera, Consiglia Longobardi, Roberto Ciarcia, Alessandro Fioretti, Sara Damiano, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini, Serena Montagnaro
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The growing interest in porcine coronaviruses (CoVs) is due to both their negative effect on the swine industry and their propensity to mutate and overcome host barriers. Since information on CoVs in wild boar (Sus scrofa) is limited, especially in Italy, a serosurvey was conducted to assess the epidemiologic situation in the Campania region and to clarify the role of wild boar as reservoirs for enteric (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus [PEDV], transmissible gastroenteritis virus [TGEV]) and respiratory (respiratory coronavirus [PRCV]) swine CoVs. During the 2016–17 hunting season, serum samples were collected from 444 wild boars and tested for antibodies to enteric (PEDV, TGEV) and respiratory (PRCV) porcine CoVs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The highest seroprevalence in wild boars was for PEDV, with a positivity of 3.83% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.05–5.6), whereas very low seroprevalences were found for TGEV and PRCV (0.67% positivity; 95% CI 0–1.44 in both cases). There was no statistical association between seropositivity to CoVs, sex, and location, whereas the prevalence of seropositive animals was positively correlated with young age (0–12 mo old). Our data confirm the presence of CoVs in wild boars in the Campania region. Our data are in agreement with the results of similar studies from other European countries, which attribute a minor role to wild boar in the transmission of these infections to domestic pigs. Our results suggest that continuous serologic surveys are necessary to monitor wild animals and detect emerging threats to livestock and humans.

© Wildlife Disease Association 2022
Gianmarco Ferrara, Francesca Paola Nocera, Consiglia Longobardi, Roberto Ciarcia, Alessandro Fioretti, Sara Damiano, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini, and Serena Montagnaro "Retrospective Serosurvey of Three Porcine Coronaviruses among the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Population in the Campania Region of Italy," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 58(4), 887-891, (30 November 2022). https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-21-00196
Received: 13 December 2021; Accepted: 23 May 2022; Published: 30 November 2022
KEYWORDS
coronavirus
serosurvey
Sus scrofa
wild boar
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top