Bartonella spp. in Feral Pigs | CDC EID

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Volume 17, Number 5–May 2011
Dispatch
Bartonella spp. in Feral Pigs, Southeastern United States
Adam W. Beard, Ricardo G. Maggi, Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, Natalie A. Cherry, Mark R. Sandfoss, Christopher S. DePerno, and Edward B. Breitschwerdt

Author affiliation: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Suggested citation for this article


Abstract
In conjunction with efforts to assess pathogen exposure in feral pigs from the southeastern United States, we amplified Bartonella henselae, B. koehlerae, and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii from blood samples. Feral pigs may represent a zoonotic risk for hunters or butchers and pose a potential threat to domesticated livestock.

Bartonella spp. are intravascular, gram-negative bacteria that infect a diverse array of wild and domestic animals. These bacteria appear to induce a wide range of symptoms in humans and can cause similar disease manifestations in animals (1,2). An increasing number of Bartonella spp. are regarded as zoonotic pathogens, which creates a public health concern for human and veterinary medicine (3).

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa), nonnative, ancestral species derived from domesticated pigs in Europe, inhabit 39 states. As their geographic distribution expands and their numbers increase, these animals are causing substantial economic and ecologic damage, which has required implementation of specific damage management programs (4). Hunters and butchers coming in contact with blood from feral pigs may be at risk for infection with Bartonella spp. (3). We report the molecular detection of 3 zoonotic Bartonella spp. in feral pigs harvested by hunters in Johnston County, North Carolina, USA

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Bartonella spp. in Feral Pigs | CDC EID



Suggested Citation for this Article
Beard AW, Maggi RG, Kennedy-Stoskopf S, Cherry NA, Sandfoss MR, DePerno CS, et al. Bartonella spp. in feral pigs, southeastern United States. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 May [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/5/893.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1705.100141


Comments to the Authors
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Edward B. Breitschwerdt, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA; email: ed_breitschwerdt@ncsu.edu