| Autor: |
Brown VR; National Feral Swine Damage Management Program, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Miller RS; Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Bowden CF; National Wildlife Research Center, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Smyser TJ; National Wildlife Research Center, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Ledesma NA; National Veterinary Services Laboratories, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Ames, IA 50010, USA., Hartwig A; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Gordy P; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Anderson AM; National Wildlife Research Center, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Porter SM; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Alexander K; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Gouker Z; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Gidlewski T; National Wildlife Disease Program, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Bowen RA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA., Bosco-Lauth AM; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
Invasive feral swine ( Sus scrofa ) are one of the most important wildlife species for disease surveillance in the United States, serving as a reservoir for various diseases of concern for the health of humans and domestic animals. Brucella suis , the causative agent of swine brucellosis, is one such pathogen carried and transmitted by feral swine. Serology assays are the preferred field diagnostic for B. suis infection, as whole blood can be readily collected and antibodies are highly stable. However, serological assays frequently have lower sensitivity and specificity, and few studies have validated serological assays for B. suis in feral swine. We conducted an experimental infection of Ossabaw Island Hogs (a breed re-domesticated from feral animals) as a disease-free proxy for feral swine to (1) improve understanding of bacterial dissemination and antibody response following B. suis infection and (2) evaluate potential changes in the performance of serological diagnostic assays over the course of infection. Animals were inoculated with B. suis and serially euthanized across a 16-week period, with samples collected at the time of euthanasia. The 8% card agglutination test performed best, whereas the fluorescence polarization assay demonstrated no capacity to differentiate true positive from true negative animals. From a disease surveillance perspective, using the 8% card agglutination test in parallel with either the buffered acidified plate antigen test or the Brucella abortus / suis complement fixation test provided the best performance with the highest probability of a positive assay result. Application of these combinations of diagnostic assays for B. suis surveillance among feral swine would improve understanding of spillover risks at the national level. |
