According to research by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli , hepatitis E viruses, Japanese encephalitis virus and Nipah virus – all of them pathogens transmitted by wild boars – have a high potential for contagion to humans, due to the unprecedented population explosion of this wild species.
And it is that the restrictions on the hunting of wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) in its different varieties – pure Eurasian wild boar, the feral domestic pig and hybrid populations – have led to a demographic boom throughout the world. Its population has multiplied by more than ten in the last four decades in many areas of Europe, North America, Japan, China and Australia. One of the possible consequences of this data is the increased exposure of humans to zoonotic pathogens typical of these wild pigs.
Francisco Ruiz Fons, from the University of Castilla La Mancha, has led the study that has evaluated the pathogens with the greatest potential for infection from wild boars to humans. According to it, “viruses such as hepatitis E, Japanese encephalitis or Nipah virus (which causes high mortality in humans and for which there is no treatment) and bacteria such as Salmonella , Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli , Campylobacter and Leptospira they turn out to be the most important pathogens that can be transmitted from wild boar to humans , or in whose life cycle the wild boar can actively participate.
There are many known cases of disease transmission between wild boars and people: those of hepatitis E in Japan or the episodes of trichinosis that occur in many countries, including Spain, due to the consumption of poorly cooked wild boar meat that has not undergone a veterinary inspection. Hunters and habitual game consumers are the people most exposed to this risk , which is rarely made public at a general level, but occurs even in countries with good public health systems.
According to experts, the wild boar is currently one of the species of wild animals that has the greatest potential for interaction with humans on a global scale, as they are present on all continents except Antarctica. Wild boar pathogens can be very diverse and affect different groups of people , but amateur and professional game hunters are most at risk of infection from wild boar.
The expansion of urbanizations into natural areas, the increase in outdoor leisure activities, socio-economic changes and changes in eating habits can favor the rate of exposure of people to zoonotic pathogens transmitted by wild boar and favor the appearance of epidemics , according to the researchers.
