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– There is a much higher risk of infection when we have a large population of wild boar, says Anna Forslid, a veterinarian at the Swedish Farmers Association (LRF).
The Salmonella finding was made in two wild boars in the Hässleholm area of northern Skåne. It is unclear how widespread the infection is among wild boars and the possible connection between wild boar and infected Scanian domestic pigs has not been established.
“We work with several tracks. One theory has been that the wild boar may have played a role in the spread of the infection, which these latest findings may indicate, “says Karl Ståhl, acting state epizootologist, according to a press release.
Serious health disorders
It is Salmonella choleraesuis, a variant of salmonella that has not existed in Swedish pig farming for more than 40 years. It can cause serious health problems in pigs, but it is very rare for humans to be affected by this type of salmonella.
– It is sad news that this serious type of salmonella is now found among wild boars. It is very difficult to create control over that situation and there is a great risk that salmonella will spread further, even to domestic pigs, says LRF Vice President Åsa Odell, who is a pig farmer.
On 15 September it was established that the infection was affecting domestic pigs in Skåne. It was later discovered that the infection had spread to another farm, to which the original farm had delivered animals.
Control over feeding
The infection situation in the wild boar population must now be further investigated, according to the LRF, which also demands that the authorities take control of the feeding of the wild boar.
Today, there are approximately 300,000 wild boars in Sweden. When they gather around feeding places, the risk of spreading infection between them increases. As they become more numerous, they become closer and closer to pig farms and the risk of transmitting the infection to domestic pigs increases, LRF warns.
A possible route of infection may be that the straw eaten for domestic pigs has been contaminated with excrement from salmonella-infected wild boar, according to Anna Forslid.
– Our pig farms have a very good level of biosecurity, but should they start to fence all the fields? It doesn’t work, she says.
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