Epidemiological factors conditioning sarcoptic mange spreading in wild boar (Sus scrofa)

Abstract

Sarcoptic mange is a widely distributed disease, with numerous potential hosts among domestic and wild animals. Nowadays it is considered a neglected re-emergent infection in humans. As a difference with domestic pigs, and even with several clinical cases reported in some European countries, it seems that Eurasian wild boars (Sus scrofa) have a low susceptibility to clinical mange. However, because of a case of confirmed transmission from Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) to wild boar in the province of Tarragona, we planned a large-scale ELISA survey in the neighboring Valencian Community (SE Spain). We compared 419 wild boar sera from different management systems (fenced vs. open game estates), different ages (piglets, juveniles, and adults), with different behaviour (gregarious females of all ages and male piglets vs. solitary juveniles and adult males), from areas with different wild boar densities, different wild ruminant densities and different sarcoptic mange epidemiologic situations. The whole prevalence of antibodies against sarcoptic mange in the tested wild boars was 10.5%. No significant differences were found when comparing fenced and free ranging wild boars, males and females, gregarious vs. solitary individuals or among different ages. However, wild boar density was a relevant factor. In areas with a hunting bag of <1 wild boar/km², considered as a low density of suids, the seroprevalence was 2.94%, but rose to 11.52% in high density districts, constituting a significant difference (p = 0.037). Low wild boar populations would act as a protective factor (OR 0.233; p = 0.049) against coming into contact with the mite. The wild ruminant densities or their sarcoptic mange status did not show any effect on wild boars seroprevalence against this disease. These results reinforce the suggested host-taxon Sarcoptes scabiei specificity and the independence of host-species foci.