Dataset Information

African swine fever in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2018: a snapshot.

ABSTRACT: The first cases of African swine fever (ASF) were detected in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2014. Since then, the disease spread slowly through the whole country, affecting both, wild boar and domestic pigs. In the other Baltic states, which both are also affected by ASF since 2014, the recent course of ASF prevalence suggests that the countries might be well under way of disease elimination. In contrast, in Lithuania the epidemic seems to be still in full progress. In the present study, we aimed to extend a previous prevalence study in Lithuania. Looking at ASF virus (ASFV) and seroprevalence estimates of wild boar in all months of 2018 and in all affected municipalities in Lithuania, the course of ASF was evaluated on a temporal and spatial scale. A non-spatial beta-binomial model was used to correct for under- or overestimation of the average prevalence estimates. Within 2018 no big differences between the prevalence estimates were seen over time. Despite of the lower sample size, highest ASFV prevalence estimates were found in dead wild boar, suggesting higher detection rates through passive surveillance than through active surveillance. Accordingly, with the maximum prevalence of 87.5% in May 2018, the ASFV prevalence estimates were very high in wild boar found dead. The number of samples originating from hunted animals (active surveillance) predominated clearly. However, the ASFV prevalence in those animals was lower with a maximum value of 2.1%, emphasizing the high value of passive surveillance. A slight increase of the seroprevalence in hunted wild boar could be seen over time. In the center of Lithuania, a cluster of municipalities with high ASFV and seroprevalence estimates was found. The results of the study indicate that ASFV is still circulating within the Lithuanian wild boar population, constituting a permanent risk of disease transmission into domestic pig holdings. However, additional, more recent data analyses are necessary to re-evaluate the course of ASF in Lithuania and thus, to be able to make a statement about the stage of the ASF epidemic in the country. This is of huge importance for Lithuania for evaluating control measures and their efficacy, but also for neighbouring countries to assess the risk of disease spread from Lithuania.

SUBMITTER: Pautienius A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7542886 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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African swine fever in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2018: a snapshot.

Pautienius Arnoldas A Schulz Katja K Staubach Christoph C Grigas Juozas J Zagrabskaite Ruta R Buitkuviene Jurate J Stankevicius Rolandas R Streimikyte Zaneta Z Oberauskas Vaidas V Zienius Dainius D Salomskas Algirdas A Sauter-Louis Carola C Stankevicius Arunas A

Virology journal 20201007 1

The first cases of African swine fever (ASF) were detected in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2014. Since then, the disease spread slowly through the whole country, affecting both, wild boar and domestic pigs. In the other Baltic states, which both are also affected by ASF since 2014, the recent course of ASF prevalence suggests that the countries might be well under way of disease elimination. In contrast, in Lithuania the epidemic seems to be still in full progress. In the present study ...[more]

PMID: 33028388

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Project description:African swine fever (ASF) is a serious global concern from an ecological and economic point of view. While it is well established that its main transmission routes comprise contact between infected and susceptible animals and transmission through contaminated carcasses, the specific mechanism leading to its long-term persistence is still not clear. Among others, a proposed mechanism involves the potential role of convalescent individuals, which would be able to shed the virus after the end of the acute infection. Using a spatially explicit, stochastic, individual-based model, we tested: (1) if ASF can persist when transmission occurs only through infected wild boars and infected carcasses; (2) if the animals that survive ASF can play a relevant role in increasing ASF persistence chances; (3) how hunting pressure can affect the ASF probability to persist. The scenario in which only direct and carcass-mediated transmission were contemplated had 52% probability of virus persistence 10 years after the initial outbreak. The inclusion of survivor-mediated transmission corresponded to slightly higher persistence probabilities (57%). ASF prevalence during the endemic phase was generally low, ranging 0.1-0.2%. The proportion of seropositive individuals gradually decreased with time and ranged 4.5-6.6%. Our results indicate that direct and carcass-mediated infection routes are sufficient to explain and justify the long-term persistence of ASF at low wild boar density and the ongoing geographic expansion of the disease front in the European continent. During the initial years of an ASF outbreak, hunting should be carefully evaluated as a management tool, in terms of potential benefits and negative side-effects, and combined with an intensive effort for the detection and removal of wild boar carcasses. During the endemic phase, further increasing hunting effort should not be considered as an effective strategy. Additional effort should be dedicated to finding and removing as many wild boar carcasses as possible.

Project description:African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease affecting all suids including wild boar. As the disease can damage commercial pig production and its circulation can threaten international trade, understanding the risks produced by free-living wild boar (as a wildlife reservoir) is important to ensure proportionate policies to exclude the disease, as well as an effective contingency response. The recent spread of the virus into Western Europe has produced concerns in many stakeholders including pig producers and national governments. Unlike in mainland Europe, where wild boar are widespread, in Britain, free-living populations have only recently re-established, and whilst these are still relatively small and isolated, they may provide a sufficient reservoir capable of sustaining disease and may thus present a continual source of infection risk to domestic pigs. This study focuses on one component of the risk produced by wild boar, specifically the distribution and persistence of virus in a landscape produced by the natural circulation of disease within wild boar. We used a spatial individual-based model run across a representation of a real landscape to explore the epidemiological consequences of an introduction of ASF into the Forest of Dean, currently hosting the largest population of wild boar in England. We explore various scenarios including variations in the prophylactic management of boar, as well as variations in reactive management (contingency response) following the detection of disease to evaluate their value in reducing this specific risk (presence of ASF virus of wild boar origin in the landscape). The abundance and distribution of wild boar is predicted to increase across our study extent over the next 20 years. Outbreaks of ASF are not predicted to be self-sustaining, with the median time to disease "burn-out" (no new infections) being 14 weeks. Carcass removal, as a tool in a package of reactive management, was of limited value in reducing the duration of outbreaks in this study. We suggest that useful predictions of some of the risks produced by ASF might be possible using only the distribution of the boar, rather than more difficult abundance or density measures.

Dataset Information

African swine fever in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2018: a snapshot.

Publications

African swine fever in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2018: a snapshot.

Similar Datasets

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