Abstract :
[en] The native Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a relevant wildlife host for African swine fever (ASF) virus, contributing to
infection maintenance and spread and representing a challenge for disease control. Combining published scientific evidence
with expert opinion, we provide an updated global overview of ASF control in wild boar and feral pigs in different epidemiological scenarios. We synthesize current knowledge on key background aspects of wild boar ecology and management
and on ASF epidemiology in wild boar and their relative, the feral pig. We propose that establishing a proper surveillance
and monitoring scheme is a requisite for disease control in wildlife and that ASF and wild boar should be monitored in an
integrated way, considering the changes in the host population as well as the spatial spread and temporal distribution of
disease indicators, to make possible a critical assessment of the impact of interventions. The main body of the manuscript
reviews the intervention options and ASF control attempts and their outcomes in different epidemiological situations from
peacetime to endemicity. Current ASF control in wild boar relies on three essential tools: carcass destruction, wild boar
culling, and fencing. The experience gained since the onset of the ongoing ASF pandemic shows that certain combinations
of interventions can slow down ASF spread and eventually succeed in ASF eradication in wild boar, at least after point
introductions. Several strengths and weaknesses of these strategies are identified.
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