Swine brucellosis is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Brucella suis, of which there are five biotypes or strains. Brucellosis represents a significant disease of domestic swine, which had been all but eliminated from domestic herds in the United States. However, swine brucellosis infection commonly occurs in feral hog (also called wild hogs; Sus scrofa) populations in this country. Several species of vertebrates can also contract this disease. Biotypes 1 and 3 can cause infections …
Pseudorabies Virus in Feral Hogs
Pseudorabies virus (PRV), also known as Aujeszky’s disease, is an infectious viral disease that is caused by the Suid herpesvirus 1 (SuHV-1). The name “pseudorabies” means “rabies like” or “false rabies;” however, PRV is a herpes virus and is not related to the rabies virus. Although humans cannot be infected, PRV is found in several species of mammals (for example, cattle, sheep, goats, deer, bears, cats, dogs, mink, skunks, raccoons, rabbits and rats) as well as swine. It represents a …
Quick Facts on Feral Hogs
Feral hog numbers are on the rise in the United States. Likewise the problems they cause are also growing. With attention on this invasive species, many myths are circulating about feral hog history, distribution, biology, and damage. The following bullets will help get the facts straight.
History and Distribution
- Swine were domesticated thousands of years ago from wild stock in Europe and Asia.
- Swine were first introduced to North America by Spanish explorers.
- Confined and/or free-ranging domestic swine escaped from
Nuisance Problems with Feral Hogs
Although feral hogs (also called wild hogs and wild pigs; Sus scrofa) are a big game resource in the United States, these non-native animals are almost always classified as an undesirable invasive species. Feral hogs cause a large variety of damage to natural and man-made environments. Economic losses from feral hogs to agricultural resources, including cost of feral hog control, is an estimated $1.5 billion annually in the United States (Pimentel 2007). Feral hogs are one …
What diseases do feral hogs carry or transmit?
Feral hogs (wild pigs) are susceptible to a wide range of viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases (e.g., African swine fever, anthrax, tuberculosis, brucellosis, hog cholera, E. coli, foot-and-mouth disease, influenza viruses, leptospirosis, pseudorabies virus, and vesicular stomatitis). Specifically, feral hogs have the potential to contract and transmit all of the diseases of domestic swine. Some of these diseases are specific to domestic swine, while others can also infect other wild and domestic mammals as well as humans. As such, …
Feral Hogs in Your Backyard
Figure 1. Locations of municipalities in the United States that have reported problems with feral hogs in suburban and urban areas since 2000. Illustration courtesy of Jack Mayer.
Since 2000, feral hogs (also called wild hog and wild pig; Sus scrofa) have started showing up in numerous suburban and urban neighborhoods across the United States (Fig. 1). Prior to that time, such appearances by these animals in developed areas had been a very rare event. In fact, such recently …