ABSTRACT
84Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) presumably are susceptible to all diseases of domestic swine, although few of these pathogens cause clinical disease in wild pigs. Thus, understanding disease dynamics in wild pigs is of importance because of their ability to serve as reserviors of disease agents, and to transmit them to wildlife, livestock, and humans. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), established in 1924, addresses worldwide issues associated with animal diseases. A recent review identified that wild pigs can be a host for 34 OIE-listed pathogens that can cause diseases in livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans, with most being of concern to bovids (Miller et al. 2017). Most information on diseases in wild pigs in the United States is from surveys for evidence of selected disease agents. Data from other countries in North America and Caribbean and Pacific Islands are limited due to lack of surveillance. In this chapter, we discuss several viral, bacterial, and parasitic disease 85agents in detail, and provide tables summarizing other disease agents detected in wild pigs, including some with little or no published information available. Disease agents discussed in detail are ones that received significant attention through research and/or surveys. We also discuss management issues, foreign animal diseases, role of humans in spread of diseases in wild pigs, and trade issues.
