First Report of Brucella Seroprevalence in Wild Boar Population in Serbia

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The presented manuscript provides the first data about the important zoonotic disease, brucellosis, in the population of wild boars on the territory of Serbia. Brucellosis is an important disease of animals, both domestic and wild, and humans, and is of exceptional importance. Recently, the disease has re-emerged in some countries and is a threat to public health. The infection was never investigated before in the population of wild boars in Serbia, although the reported infections in domestic pigs indicate the possible pathogen transmission from wild to domestic pigs. Applied serology assays provided Brucella seroprevalences in wild boars, while a wealth of statistics delivered important data. The obtained results confirm the presence of the infection in the population of wild boars in Serbia and open new chapters for the future investigations of brucellosis in wild boars in Serbia. ABSTRACT: Brucellosis is one of the most important bacterial zoonotic diseases worldwide, characterized in domestic animals by long-term reproductive disorders. As known, wild boars (Sus scrofa) are natural hosts for Brucella suis biovar 2, in which the infection passes in inapparent form, increasing the pathogen transmission risk to domestic pigs, other domestic animals and humans. So far, no studies regarding brucellosis in wild boars in Serbia have been published. During the hunting season 2020/2021, 480 sera of wild boars living in Serbia were collected and tested for the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies. For the serological survey, the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) were used. Of the 480 sera, 45 sera tested positive, indicating the acquired Brucella seroprevalence in wild boars of 9.4%. The greatest numbers of Brucella seropositive animals were detected in the eastern parts of the country and in one of the central districts, i.e., Pomoravski, Branicevski, Borski and Juznobanatski. This study provides the first data regarding brucellosis in the wild boar population in Serbia, revealing the seroprevalence of Brucella, thus indicating that wild boars as natural hosts and/or vectors of Brucella likely present a risk for the infection of other animals.