A Serological Survey of Brucellosis in Eurasian Wild Boar () in Campania Region, Italy.

Abstract

Swine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that affects both domestic pigs () and wild pigs such as wild boar (). We evaluated the presence of antibodies againstspp. in wild boar hunted in the Campania region, Italy, during the hunting season of 2016-17. Serum samples were collected from 434 wild boars and tested for antibodies againstspp. For detection of antibodies to swine brucellosis, the rose Bengal test (RBT) and a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed. Of 434 serum samples, 22 (5.1%) tested by RBT and 58 (13.5%) tested using the blocking ELISA were positive for brucella. The seroprevalences ofspp. did not differ between the sexes or age classes, while the prevalence of infected animals was positively correlated with the Avellino province. Our data showed that wild boar in the Campania region are exposed to brucella infection, and that the prevalence of the disease has increased in recent years.