Summary
Wild boars constitute a potential reservoir and may spread zoonotic agents, including Salmonella sp. and thus they represent a source of infection for (wild and domestic) animals and humans. During the 2006 hunting season, 77 rectal faecal samples from animals shot by hunters in Northern Portugal were collected and analysed to determine the prevalence and serovars of Salmonella sp. in wild boars (Sus scrofa). The results showed that 17 (22.1%) were positive for Salmonella sp. In these positive samples, the most prevalent serovar was Salmonella Typhimurium, identified in 11 (64.7%) isolates, followed by Salmonella Rissen in 6 (35.3%). These results confirm the importance of wild boar as a reservoir of pathogenic serovars of Salmonella and as a potential risk for humans and livestock and emphasise the importance of intervention procedures for improving surveillance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bengis, R.G., 2002. Infectious diseases of wildlife: detection, diagnosis and management. Rev. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 21(1), 11-12.
Bengis, R.G., Kock, R.A. and Fischer, J., 2002. Infectious animal diseases: the wildlife/livestock interface. Rev. Tech. Off, Int. Epiz. 21(1), 53-65.
Botteldoorn, N., Herman, L., Rijpens, N. and Heyndrickx, M., 2004. Phenotypic and molecular typing of Salmonella strains reveals different contamination sources in two commercial pig slaughterhouses. Appl. Environ. Microb. 70(9), 5305-5314.
Castagna, S.M.F., Schwartz, P., Canal, C.W. and Cardoso, M., 2004. Presence of Salmonella sp. in the intestinal tract in tonsils/submandibular lymph nodes of slaughter pigs. Arq. Brás. Med. Vet. Zootec. 56(3), 300-306.
Cruchaga, S., Echeita, A., Aladuena, A., Garcia-Pena, J., Frias, N. and Usera, M.A., 2001. Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonellae from humans, food and animals in Spain in 1998. J. Antimicrob. Chemoth. 47, 315-321.
Davies, R., Paiba, G.A., Evans S.J. and Dalziel, R., 2000. Surveys for Salmonella in pigs, cattle and sheep at slaughter in Great Britain. Vet. Rec. 147, 695.
Decastelli, L., Giaccone, V. and Mignone, W., 1995. Bacteriological examination of meat of wild boars shot down in Piedmont and Liguria, Italy. IBEX J.M.E. 3, 88-89.
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), 2007. The Community summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents, antimicrobial resistance and foodborne outbreaks in the European Union in 2006. The EFSA Journal 130, 2-352.
Everard, C.O.R., Tota, B., Basset, D. and Cameille, A.L. 1979. Salmonella in wildlife from Trinidad and Grenada, W.I.J. Wildl. Dis. 15, 213-217.
Fedorka-Cray, P.J., Bailey, J.S., Stern, N.J., Cox, N.A., Ladely, S.R. and Musgrove, M., 1999. Mucosal competitive exclusion to reduce Salmonella in swine. J. Food Protect. 62(12), 1376-1380.
Giovannacci, I., Queguiner, S., Ragimbeau, C., Salvat, G., Vendeuvre, J.L., Carlier, V. and Ermel, G., 2001. Tracing of Salmonella spp. in two porks slaughter and cutting plants using serotyping and macrorestriction genotyping. J. Appl. Microbiol. 90, 131-147.
Gortázar, C., Ferroglio, E., Höfle, U., Frölich, K. and Vicente, J., 2007. Diseases shared between wildlife and livestock: a European perspective. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 53, 241-256.
Handeland, K., Refsum, T., Johansen, B.S., Holstad, G., Knutsen, G., Solberg, I., Schulze, J. and Kapperud, G., 2002. Prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium infection in Norwegian hedgehog population associated with two human disease outbreaks. Epidemiol. Infect. 128, 523-527.
Kanai, Y., Hayashidani, K., Kancko, M., Ogawa, M., Takahashi, T. and Nakamura, M., 1997. Occurrence of zoonotic bacteria in retail game meat in Japan with special reference to Erysipelothrix. J. Food Protect. 60, 328-331.
Kruse, H., Kirkemo, A.-M. and Handeland, K., 2004. Wildlife as source of zoonotic infections. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 10(12), 2067-2071.
Lillehaug, A., Bergsjø, B., Schar, J., Bruheim, T., Vikoren, T. and Handeland, K., 2005. Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., verocytotoxic Escherichia coli, and antibiotic resistance in indicator organisms in wild cervids. Acta Vet. Scand. 46, 23-32.
Millán, J., Aduriz, G., Moreno, B., Juste, R.A. and Barral, M., 2004. Salmonella isolates from wild birds and mammals in the Basque Country (Spain). Rev. Sci. Tech. 23(3), 905-911.
Nielsen, B., Mogelmose, V. and Sorensen, L.L., 1999. Tracing back multiresistant Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 from pork at the slaughterhouse to a specific swine herd by strategical use of serology and culture. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium On the Epidemiology and Control of Salmonella in Pork. Washington, DC, USA, pp. 261-263.
Popoff, M.Y., 2001. Antigenic formulas of the Salmonella serovars. Report of the WHO Collaborating Centre for reference and Research on Salmonella. 8th Edition. Institute Pasteur, Paris, France.
Refsum, T., Handeland, K., Baggesen, D.L., Holstad, G. and Kapperud, G., 2002. Salmonellae in Avian Wildlife in Norway from 1969 to 2000. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68(11), 5595-5599.
Renter, D.G., Gnad, D.P., Sargeant, J.M. and Hygnstrom, S.E., 2006. Prevalence and Serovars of Salmonella in feces of free-ranging White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Nebraska. J. Wildl. Dis. 42(3), 699-703.
Swanenburg, M., Urlings, H.A.P., Snijders, J.M.A., Keuzenkamp, D.A. and Van Knapen, F., 2001. Salmonella in slaughter pigs: prevalence, serovars and critical control points during slaughter in two slaughterhouses. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 70, 243-254.
Vengust, G., Valencak, Z. and Bidovec, A., 2006. A serological survey of selected pathogens in wild boar in Slovenia. J. Vet. Med. B 53, 24-27.
Vicente, J., Léon-Vizcaíno, L., Gortázar, C., Cubero, M.J., González, M. and Martín-Antace, P., 2002. Antibodies to selected viral and bacterial pathogens in European Wild Boars from Southcentral Spain. J. Wildl. Dis. 38(3), 619-652.
Vieira-Pinto, M.M., Themudo, P. and Martins, C., 2005. Occurrence of Salmonella in the ileum, ileocolic lymph nodes, tonsils, mandibular lymph nodes and carcasses of pigs slaughtered for consumption. J. Vet. Med. B. 52, 476-481.
Wahlström, H., Olsson, E., Engvall, E., Brändström, B., Vågsholm, I., Eriksson, E. and Mörner, T., 2003. Survey of Campylobacter species, VTEC 0157 and Salmonella species in Swedish wildlife. Vet. Rec. 153(3), 74-80.
Wisniewski, J., 2001. The incidence of Salmonella spp. in wild boars in Poland. Medycyny Wet. 57(6), 399-401. Available at: http://www.medwet.lublin.pl/Year%202001/vol01-06/art224-00htm.htm.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Wageningen Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vieira-Pinto, M. et al. (2011). Salmonella spp. in wild boar (Sus scrofa): a public and animal health concern. In: Paulsen, P., Bauer, A., Vodnansky, M., Winkelmayer, R., Smulders, F.J.M. (eds) Game meat hygiene in focus. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-723-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-723-3_10
Publisher Name: Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen
Online ISBN: 978-90-8686-723-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
