preprints.org > public health and healthcare > public, environmental and occupational health > doi: 10.20944/preprints202306.2246.v1

Preprint Communication Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 30 June 2023 / Approved: 30 June 2023 / Online: 30 June 2023 (12:42:39 CEST)

Brucellosis is an important infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. In the northeast region of Portugal, brucellosis is endemic in small ruminants, and there are also human cases. However, the epidemiological role of the wild boar in the dynamics of this disease in this region is unknown. For this reason, a total of 332 blood samples were collected from wild boar hunted in thirty-six hunting areas during the 2022/2023 hunting season. All were taken by the hunters for private consumption, with no evisceration and examination in the field. Serum sam-ples were tested by i-ELISA. It was observed that 88 wild boars were exposed to Brucella spp., pointing to a seroprevalence of 26.5% (95% CI: 21.8% – 31.3%). This high prevalence underlines the importance that wild boar may have in the dynamics of this disease in the region and its po-tential transmission to other animals and to human, for example, during the handling of carcasses. Increased awareness and knowledge of brucellosis in wild boar is essential for the implementation of effective practices and habits and, consequently, for the control and prevention of this important zoonosis.

Sus scrofa; Brucella spp.; zoonosis; one health

Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health

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