Risk of transmission of foot-and-mouth disease by wild animals: infection dynamics in Japanese wild boar following direct inoculation or contact exposure

Abstract

Understanding of disease dynamics and viral shedding in wild boar and of the potential for disease spreading within wild boar and domestic pig populations is critical for developing effective control and eradication measures for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Accordingly, we infected experimentally wild boar and domestic pigs with FMD virus (FMDV) strains O/TAI/315/2016 and A/MOG/2013, and studied their susceptibility and viral transmissibility in both populations. Similar to FMDV-infected pigs, wild boar inoculated with both viruses exhibited vesicular lesions on their feet, snout, tongue and lip, although they did not show lameness. Further, inoculated wild boar were equally capable of transmitting the virus to all of their contact animals. While all contact pigs developed vesicular lesions after contact with inoculated animals, in contrast, no wild boar when exposed to the same infected animals showed obvious clinical signs. These results will be useful for further understanding of the critical roles in occurring and sustaining an FMD outbreak, and will be useful for establishing epidemiological surveillance programs and effective countermeasures for wild boar.

Spatial and temporal distribution of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in Algeria from 2014 to 2022

“…In addition, wild animals, especially cloven-hoofed species, can sometimes act as reservoirs for FMDV [33], emphasizing their role in carrying and transmitting the virus to domestic livestock. Movement of infected animals or contaminated products between regions can facilitate the geographical spread of FMD.…”