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30 June 2023 Parasite Prevalence in Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA
J. Conner England, Heidi M. Wyrosdick, Eliza L. Baker, William H. Stiver, Ryan H. Williamson, Richard W. Gerhold Jr.
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Abstract

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are an introduced species to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), US, and serve as carriers of several diseases that are considered a threat to other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. During 2013 and 2015, fecal samples from 67 feral swine from the GSMNP within both Tennessee and North Carolina, US, were opportunistically collected as part of a feral swine removal program and submitted to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee, for parasite screening by centrifugal sugar flotation. Ten taxa from the phyla Acanthocephala, Apicomplexa, and Nematoda were identified: Ascaris spp., Strongylid-type spp., Capillaria spp., Trichuris suis, Metastrongylus spp., Macracanthorhynchus spp., Coccidia, Sarcocystis spp., and Cryptosporidium spp. In 98.5% of samples, at least one parasite was found. No differences in parasite prevalence or species diversity were noted based on state of collection (Tennessee or North Carolina), sex, or age. The high prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in these feral swine, some of which are zoonotic, represents a potential public health risk as well as a concern for free-range swine farmers.

J. Conner England, Heidi M. Wyrosdick, Eliza L. Baker, William H. Stiver, Ryan H. Williamson, and Richard W. Gerhold Jr. "Parasite Prevalence in Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 59(3), 515-519, (30 June 2023). https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-22-00155
Received: 17 October 2022; Accepted: 24 January 2023; Published: 30 June 2023
KEYWORDS
acanthocephalan
Apicomplexa
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nematoda
parasites
Sus scrofa
wild hog
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