Serologic Survey of Brucella spp. in Culled Invasive Alien Mammals from El Palmar National Park, Argentina and in Exposed Consumers

Abstract

Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp. and transmitted from domestic and wild animals to humans. Brucellosis causes important economic losses in livestock, has a significant impact on public health, and may affect the health of wildlife. Hunting and consumption of meat from culled wildlife constitute a risk for Brucella spp. infection in humans and hunting dogs. In El Palmar National Park (EPNP), Argentina, the invasive alien mammals wild boar (Sus scrofa) and axis deer (Axis axis) are controlled, slaughtered in situ, and consumed by hunters, with meat trimmings and offal often fed to dogs. In this study, we evaluated but did not detect anti-Brucella antibodies in wild boar (n=95) and axis deer (n=238) from EPNP or in game consumers, dogs (n=39) and humans (n=61). These results suggest a lack of exposure to Brucella spp. at this site during the study period. Despite negative findings in the sampled location, One Health surveillance across multiple species contributes to our understanding of pathogen dynamics and enables targeted interventions to minimize health risks.