High seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies  in wild boars hunted in the Game Breeding Center  in north-eastern Poland

Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan. The main source of infection for humans is meat contaminated with tissue cysts, the main invasive form of the parasite. The muscle tissue of seropositive animals of the family Suidae, subfamily Sus (domestic pig, wild boar) are the most common sources of infections with Toxoplasma gondii. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infections in the meat of wild boars (Sus scrofa) based on measurements of T. gondii antibodies in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One hundred samples of muscle tissue were obtained from wild boars hunted in the Game Breeding Center in north-eastern Poland. The animals were divided into three age groups: weaners (27), subadults (38) and adults (35). The prevalence of toxoplasmosis was very high in the analyzed population, and 71% of the animals were classified as seropositive in ELISA. Antibodies against T. gondii were detected in 62.9% of weaners, 73.6% of subadults and 74.2% of adult boars. The seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies was significantly higher in the animals hunted in the Game Breeding Center in comparison with the national average determined by other authors. Such extensive spread of the parasite in the natural environment can be attributed to geographic location, landform, presence of waterbodies, local climate, the size of the wild boar population and the spread of castor bean ticks (Ixodes ricinus).

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Spatial distribution of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody-positive wild boars in Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96758-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Taizo Saito ◽

Yuko Kitamura ◽

Eiji Tanaka ◽

Itsuki Ishigami ◽

Yuji Taniguchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Wild Boar ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Gifu Prefecture

AbstractToxoplasma gondii is a globally wide-spread parasite that infects almost all species of mammals and birds, including humans. We studied the spatial distribution of individual T. gondii-seropositive wild boar in Gifu Prefecture (10,621 km2), Japan. Altogether, 744 wild boars were captured at 663 points around human settlements in Gifu Prefecture. Serum samples were collected after recording the exact capture locations, along with each wild boar’s body length and sex. We then used a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for swine to measure anti-T. gondii antibodies in these animals. Among the 744 wild boars, 169 tested positive for T. gondii (22.7%). No significant difference in T. gondii seroprevalence was observed between the mountainous northern region with high winter snow cover and the mild-wintered geographical plain of the southern part of the prefecture. In contrast, 8 of the 11 wild boars that were captured in a public park surrounded by residential areas showed T. gondii seropositivity (72.7%), a value significantly higher than those of the wild boar populations in the other prefecture areas. This in-depth analysis, which spans the big city suburbs and rural areas of a whole prefecture, explains the seroprevalence of zoonotic T. gondii in wild boar and has public health implications.

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West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10030494 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 494

Author(s):

Angela Petruccelli ◽

Tiziana Zottola ◽

Gianmarco Ferrara ◽

Valentina Iovane ◽

Cristina Di Russo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Nile Virus ◽

Wild Boar ◽

Specific Antibody ◽

Central Italy ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Serum Samples ◽

West Nile ◽

Wild Boars ◽

European Wild Boar

Background: A retrospective sero-survey for evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in European wild boar (Sus scorfa) was conducted in the Latium region, Italy, on stored serum samples of the period November 2011 to January 2012. Methods: Sera were collected from 168 European wild boars and screened for antibodies to WNV and other Flaviviruses by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). All sera positive for Flavivirus antibodies by cELISA were further examined by virus neutralization test (VNT). To test the presence of Flavivirus RNA in samples, an RT-PCR was performed using a pan-Flavivirus primers pair. Results: Thirteen wild boars (7.73%) were seropositive for Flaviviruses. The hemolysis of serum samples limited the interpretation of the VNT for 7 samples, confirming the presence of specific antibody against WNV in a single European wild boar serum sample. The presence of ELISA positive/VNT negative samples suggests the occurrence of non-neutralizing antibodies against WNV or other antigen-related Flaviviruses. No samples resulted positive for Flavivirus by RT-PCR assay. Conclusion: Although a moderately high percentage of animals with specific antibody for WNV has been detected in wild boar in other surveillance studies in Europe, this has not been reported previously in Italy. Together, these data indicate that European wild boar are exposed to WNV and/or other related-Flavivirus in central Italy and confirm the usefulness of wild ungulates, as suitable Flavivirus sentinels.

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Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in pet dogs and cats in Beijing, China

Acta Parasitologica ◽

10.2478/s11686-008-0040-9 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jinhai Yu ◽

Jun Ding ◽

Zhaofei Xia ◽

Degui Lin ◽

Yili Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Age Groups ◽

Latex Agglutination ◽

Agglutination Test ◽

Latex Agglutination Test ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Pet Dogs ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Beijing China

AbstractSera from 534 pet dogs and 335 pet cats from Beijing (China) were tested for anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or the latex agglutination test. The seropositivity by year, season, sex and age was analysed. Overall, 128 dogs (24.0%) and 50 cats (14.9%) had antibodies to T. gondii. When analysed by season, the highest seroprevalence was found in spring for dogs (31.3%) and cats (25.1%), and the differences in seroprevalence by season was statistically significant in cats (P<0.01) but not in dogs. The seroprevalence in male dogs (23.7%) and cats (15.1%) were slightly higher than their female counterparts (18.0% in dogs and 12.3% in cats). There was no obvious pattern of seropositivity or significant difference in different age groups in dogs or cats; nonetheless, a high proportion of dogs at 4 years of age were positive to T. gondii (31.8%) while cats with relatively high seropositivity rates were at 1 or 3.4 years of age (13.14%).

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Content of toxic elements in tissues of hunted animals on the basis of research results of 2003–2017

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.6202 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 (02) ◽

pp. 6202-2019

Author(s):

MARIUSZ RUDY ◽

JAGODA ŻUREK ◽

RENATA STANISŁAWCZYK ◽

MARIAN GIL ◽

PAULINA DUMA-KOCAN

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Muscle Tissue ◽

Toxic Elements ◽

Roe Deer ◽

Raw Material ◽

Cadmium Content ◽

Mean Values ◽

Wild Boars ◽

The Mean

The aim of the study was to synthesize the latest literature data on the content of toxic elements in tissues of hunted animals and to determine whether there is a health risk associated with consumption of these products in the light of current legal regulations. The data show the increased mean lead contents in kidneys of wild boar (1.1900 mg/kg) and roe deer (0.9060 mg/kg) and in the muscle tissue of wild boar, roe deer and deer; the contents are even up to 0.1240 mg/kg, 0.1760 mg/kg and 0.2200 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, the increased mean cadmium content indicates the possibility of the deposition of this element in muscle tissue of wild boars (0.0519 mg/kg) and deer (0.1000 mg/kg), as well as in the liver of wild boars (5.5730 mg/kg) and roe deer (6.4350 mg/kg) and in kidneys of game species, sometimes far above the applicable maximum levels. The highest mean cadmium contents in kidneys of wild boar, roe deer and deer are 49.5000 mg/kg, 80.2600 mg/kg and 4.9740 mg/kg, respectively. The mean values of the amount of arsenic do not usually exceed the legally established maximum levels of this element. Only the borderline value of arsenic in muscle tissue of roe deer is slightly exceeded and amounts to 0.2700 mg/kg. There is the possibility of the accumulation of larger amounts of mercury mainly in kidneys of deer and roe deer. The highest mean content of this element of 0.1001 mg/kg is demonstrated in the kidneys of deer. The research on the content of toxic elements in meat of hunted animals indicates the need to regularly monitor the quality of the obtained raw material as well as to exclude selected tissues of wild animals from consumption.

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Selenium concentration in the muscle tissue of wild boars (Sus scrofa) from selected regions in Poland

Roczniki Naukowe Polskiego Towarzystwa Zootechnicznego ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0013.5419 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 113-119

Author(s):

Michalina Zowczak ◽

Grażyna Niedziałek ◽

Ewa Salamończyk ◽

Roman Miler

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Muscle Tissue ◽

Sus Scrofa ◽

Selenium Concentration ◽

Carcass Weight ◽

Average Content ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Wild Boar Meat ◽

Meat Samples ◽

Mean Concentration

The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of selenium in the meat of wild boars from three selected regions of Poland. Selenium concentration was analysed in relation to the region (Masuria, Pomerania and Greater Poland) and in relation to the carcass weight and sex of the animals. The average content of selenium in the material was 0.093 μg/g. The highest mean concentration was observed in the meat samples from Greater Poland (0.099 μg/g) and in the muscle tissue of females (0.098 μg/g). The most valuable source of selenium was the meat of animals with carcass weight ranging from 21 to 40 kg (0.101μg/g). A 100 g portion of wild boar meat meets about 20% of the daily requirement for selenium for adults and 30% for children.

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Effect of Age and Sex on the Quality of Offal and Meat of the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10040660 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 660

Author(s):

Agnieszka Ludwiczak ◽

Joanna Składanowska-Baryza ◽

Marek Stanisz

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Ph Value ◽

Age Groups ◽

Protein Ratio ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Effect Of Age ◽

Age And Sex ◽

Two Age Groups

The goal of the study was to examine the effect of age and sex on the quality of wild boar offal and meat. A number of 32 hunt-harvested animals was assigned to groups according to age (juveniles and sub-adults) and sex. The quality of offal (liver, kidneys, heart and tongue) and m. semimembranosus was examined. The pH value of m. semimembranosus ranged from 5.45 to 5.88. The highest pH was recorded in the kidney and the liver (6.32–6.54 and 6.12–6.31). The meat in the group of juveniles was brighter (p = 0.042), yellower (p = 0.039), showed a greater drip loss (p = 0.007), cooking loss (p = 0.039), and plasticity (p = 0.028), compared to the sub-adults. The extractable fat content in the m. semimembranosus and offal (p = 0.004), and water to crude protein ratio (p = 0.033), also differed between age groups. The results of the study show different quality attributes of offal and meat of wild boars from two age groups. The obtained quality measures suggest that the culinary and technological usefulness of offal and meat from the wild boars may differ according to the age of hunted animals.

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Presence of antibodies against rabies in wild boars

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/avet.59.2011.1.14 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 149-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gorazd Vengušt ◽

Peter Hostnik ◽

Mojca Cerovšek ◽

Polona Cilenšek ◽

Tadej Malovrh

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Rabies Virus ◽

Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Fluorescent Antibody ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Oral Vaccination ◽

Hunting Season ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Research Reporting

Serum samples of 746 shot wild boars collected throughout Slovenia during the hunting season of 2005/2006 were examined for the presence of antibodies against rabies virus: 541 samples were collected in areas subjected to yearly antirabies vaccination, and 205 samples were collected in areas where preventive antirabies vaccination was not practised. Using a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in 209 out of 746 sera (28%) the levels of antibodies against rabies virus were higher than 0.5 IU/ml and deemed positive. A total of 173/541 (32%) and 36/205 (18%) samples were positive in the vaccinated and nonvaccinated areas, respectively. Further analysis of 191 out of the 746 samples using the fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN) test revealed the presence of antibodies against rabies virus in 122/191 (64%) samples. This is the first extended research reporting that antibodies against rabies virus that originate from preventive oral vaccination targeting the fox population are present in wild boar.

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High Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Slovenian Wild Boars (Sus scrofa)

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11113139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 3139

Author(s):

Petra Bandelj ◽

Diana Žele Vengušt ◽

Rok Blagus ◽

Aleksandra Vergles Rataj ◽

Branko Krt

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Wild Boar ◽

National Level ◽

Human Infection ◽

Health Concern ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Zoonotic Parasite ◽

Wild Boar Meat ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Great Public Health

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite of great public health concern. Wild boars could be considered an emerging source of toxoplasmosis in humans due to the popularity of venison and their increasing population. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the Slovenian wild boar population and evaluate risk factors for human infection. Of 353 samples, 62% were positive for T. gondii using ELISA tests. This is the highest T. gondii seroprevalence reported to date in wild boar worldwide. The increase in prevalence with increasing age (p = 0.003) and weight (p = 0.002) were statistically significant, whereas gender was not (p = 0.781). Odds for being T. gondii-positive increased with age with the largest difference being between 2–3-year-old and 1–2-year-old animals (OR = 2.66, 95%CI: 1.03–6.85). Animals weighing 20–40 kg had a higher risk than animals weighing 0–20 kg (OR = 2.74, 95%CI: 1.21–6.20), whereas a further increase in the weight was not associated with increasing the odds. Due to the high Toxoplasma prevalence, the study concluded that the risk of exposure to T. gondii from handling raw or undercooked wild boar meat is high. Surveillance protocols should be established at the national level together with increased awareness within the hunting community.

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Seroprevalence of Zoonotic Protozoa Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in Food Animals of Chattogram Division

Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries ◽

10.3329/ralf.v7i2.48868 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 275-281

Author(s):

Sultana Fizun Nahar ◽

Ramesh Prasad Saha ◽

Khan Md Ashfia ◽

Asish Kumer Debnath ◽

AKM Anisur Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Age Groups ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Age Group ◽

Isolation And Characterization ◽

Pregnant Sheep ◽

Food Animals ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii Infection

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic protozoan parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in sheep, goats and cattle in Chattogram division. In his study a total of 220 sera samples from different animals were collected from different herds of Chattogram division. Among the 220 samples, 184 sera were examined for T. gondii antibody by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (iELISA) (ID Screen® indirect ELISA kit, IDvet Laboratories, Inc., France) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Samples with more than 50% S/P were considered as positive for T. gondii. The overall prevalence of T. gondii was 13.59%. The highest prevalence of T. gondii was found in goat 16%, sheep 13.04% and cattle 11.90%. The highest prevalence (36.36%) of T gondii infection was observed in sheep aged >5 years compared to other age groups. Similarly, the highest seroprevalence was found in >18 months old sheep (16.067% compared to <6 months group (5.88%) and pregnant (19.63%) and non-pregnant sheep (11.76%). In contrast to cattle and sheep, the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in goats were highest in 6 months to 18 months age group (20.83%) compared to >18 months age group (9.09%). Results indicate that T. gondii infection in food animals in Chattogram division is widespread. Further investigation on the isolation and characterization of T. gondii from the aborted fetus and its zoonotic potential on human population is imperative. The undercooked meat and raw milk of these food animals may serve as a potential source of T. gondi infection for humans. Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.7(2): 275-281, August 2020

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Detection of rabies antibodies in wild boars in north-east Romania by a rabies ELISA test

BMC Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/s12917-019-2209-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mihaela Anca Dascalu ◽

Marine Wasniewski ◽

Evelyne Picard-Meyer ◽

Alexandre Servat ◽

Florentina Daraban Bocaneti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Fluorescent Antibody ◽

Elisa Test ◽

Hunting Season ◽

Wild Boars ◽

North East ◽

North Eastern ◽

Diagnostic Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Mandatory Vaccination ◽

First Time

Abstract Background In the last few decades, Romania has been considered one of the European countries most affected by animal rabies, but a combination of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) campaigns in foxes alongside mandatory vaccination of pets has substantially decreased the number of rabies cases in recent years. The objective of this study was to detect rabies antibodies in wild boar serum and thoracic fluid samples collected during the hunting season after ORV campaigns in north-eastern Romania in order to identify if wild boars are substantial competitors to foxes for ORV baits. Results When the 312 wild boar samples were tested by ELISA (BioPro ELISA, Czech Republic), 42.31% (132/312) demonstrated rabies antibodies. In order to compare these wild boar results in terms of the percentage of immunisation, fox samples were also included in the study, and in this case only 28.40% (98/345) demonstrated rabies antibodies by ELISA. To check the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of this ELISA, those samples with a sufficient volume from both species that had tested either negative or positive with an initial ELISA were then tested with the Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralisation (FAVN) assay. The overall concordance between the BioPro ELISA and FAVN test was 74.26% (75/101) in wild boar samples and 65.66% (65/99) in fox samples, 140 out of 200 samples being correlated with the two methods, although no significant statistical difference (p = 0.218) between the two species was registered. We found a good agreement by both tests for the ELISA-positive samples (91.30%), however the situation was different for the ELISA-negative samples, where a low agreement was demonstrated (41.18%). Conclusions This study reports for the first time the presence of rabies antibodies in wild boar samples collected during the hunting season in Romania after ORV campaigns in rabies endemic areas. It is also the first study to demonstrate that ELISA BioPro can be used on wild boar samples with satisfactory results compared to the FAVN test for this species.

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