Shadow 7D
Member
I may not eat it, but I LOVE the smell of bacon, wonder what a bonfire stack of wild hogs would smell like?
Pig/Hog hunters spreading brain worms
- Thread starter Zoogster
- Start date
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1goodshot
Member
You would think you could feel a worm crawling around inside your brain.
PRM
Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,111
AND water sources. I love the Smokey Mountains ~ camping, hiking... I had a good friend some 20 years ago now, who was Federal Park Ranger in the National Park tell me that all of the streams and water courses in the Park were then contaminated by the wild hogs defecating in the water. They were telling everyone then not to drink directly from the streams without boiling/or some other means of disinfecting the water.
That seems like common sense, You never really know what is upstream from you in the water. But, I seen a lot of tourists over the years drinking directly from what appears to be a pristine clear running mountain stream.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Very no news. Every vertebrate animal we raise or hunt for ingestion carries parasites. We carry parasites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parasites_of_humans
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry...s--Symbiotic-and-Parasitic-Relationships.html
Some are even beneficial to us.
Deer parasites
There are some 137 deer parasites of note. http://instruction.cvhs.okstate.edu/kocan/vpar5333/deerpar.htm
The issue isn't parasites per se, but zoonotic parasites that are destructive.
Art is right in that proper safe meat handling and preparation will take care of most all of the problems.
Of course, this can happen with domestic livestock as well.
Harley Quinn
Member
It does cause one to ponder
In a world full of concerns, this one isn't high on my list. I probably have as much chance of being hit by a car as i do getting brain worms from tainted pork. You can scare yourself silly on almost any topic if you research it carefully enough. However, AIDS didn't ruin sex for me, the Brady Center's claims didn't have me rushing out to dispose of my firearms, and this one won't have me cowering in fear of pork. Common sense precautions can protect most people against most threats to their safety. This threat is something to keep in mind, but not anything that will aletr most people's day to day activites
Flintknapper
Member
Feral Hog Diseases (not an all inclusive list)
Swine Brucellosis
Pseudorabies
Leptospirosis
Tuberculosis
Tulerimia
Trichinosis
Plague
Anthrax
Foot and Mouth
African Swine Fever
Hog Cholera
Swine Vesicular Disease
Parasites
Hog Lice
Fleas
Ticks
Roundworms
Liver Flukes
Kidney Worms
Lung Worms
Stomach Worms
Whipworms
In southern states, feral hogs frequently have infection rates of 10 percent for swine brucellosis and 30 percent for pseudo-rabies.
http://www.dnrintra.state.il.us/ORC/Wildlife/ReportsW/General/FeralHogs.pdf
Reasonable precautions should be taken when handling the carcass of a Feral Hog (including the meat product).
Swine Brucellosis
Pseudorabies
Leptospirosis
Tuberculosis
Tulerimia
Trichinosis
Plague
Anthrax
Foot and Mouth
African Swine Fever
Hog Cholera
Swine Vesicular Disease
Parasites
Hog Lice
Fleas
Ticks
Roundworms
Liver Flukes
Kidney Worms
Lung Worms
Stomach Worms
Whipworms
In southern states, feral hogs frequently have infection rates of 10 percent for swine brucellosis and 30 percent for pseudo-rabies.
http://www.dnrintra.state.il.us/ORC/Wildlife/ReportsW/General/FeralHogs.pdf
Reasonable precautions should be taken when handling the carcass of a Feral Hog (including the meat product).
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Considering how many thousands of wild hogs have been taken in the south, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem.
Seems like the real question might be, "How many cases have been reported?"
Seems like the real question might be, "How many cases have been reported?"
Considering many people are unaware, how many simply don't know?
1 in 6 people in the 1930s had Trichinosis, based on autopsies of the general population and people that died of all causes found with the parasite.
People then did not realize the extent of the problem.
And trichinosis is more easily found in autopsy because one of the locations that typically gets a high concentration of encysted larvae is the diaphragm.
Considering the Feral Hog population did not really explode until the 80 and 90s, and higher population densities spread disease faster, the risks have grown relatively recently in the 2000s.
Many parasites don't have clear obvious symptoms, especially in less intense infections. And many people don't want to think it could happen to them, most people would swear they didn't have anything without knowing simply because the thought is appalling.
Those that have symptoms causing them to seek treatment are likely to be those with acute massive infection causing severe sudden symptoms, not slight infection with gradual or no obvious symptoms.
The brain worm causing parasite is also not a reportable disease in 48 states. Only California and Oregon report it. Neither of the two states having many hunters that regularly hunt the animals.
So the number of treatments in other states is unknown, including all the feral hog dense states of the south.
I would imagine such parasite infection would be embarrassing and so without any reporting requirements the medical records would remain private and numbers unknown.
1 in 6 people in the 1930s had Trichinosis, based on autopsies of the general population and people that died of all causes found with the parasite.
People then did not realize the extent of the problem.
And trichinosis is more easily found in autopsy because one of the locations that typically gets a high concentration of encysted larvae is the diaphragm.
Considering the Feral Hog population did not really explode until the 80 and 90s, and higher population densities spread disease faster, the risks have grown relatively recently in the 2000s.
Many parasites don't have clear obvious symptoms, especially in less intense infections. And many people don't want to think it could happen to them, most people would swear they didn't have anything without knowing simply because the thought is appalling.
Those that have symptoms causing them to seek treatment are likely to be those with acute massive infection causing severe sudden symptoms, not slight infection with gradual or no obvious symptoms.
The brain worm causing parasite is also not a reportable disease in 48 states. Only California and Oregon report it. Neither of the two states having many hunters that regularly hunt the animals.
So the number of treatments in other states is unknown, including all the feral hog dense states of the south.
I would imagine such parasite infection would be embarrassing and so without any reporting requirements the medical records would remain private and numbers unknown.
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Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
So what you are saying is that there is an untold and unknown number of us dying right now from infections caused by hogs and only hogs and we just don't know it.
Just curious, how is this any more critical than any of the other possible threats that can result from eating undercooked or improperly prepared pork?
Sorry, but this seems very Chicken Little-ish.
California certainly has a strong hog hunting contingency.
Just curious, how is this any more critical than any of the other possible threats that can result from eating undercooked or improperly prepared pork?
Sorry, but this seems very Chicken Little-ish.
California certainly has a strong hog hunting contingency.
Double Naught Spy said:
No not at all, most people that catch such things don't die from them, and those that consume enough infected cysts or eggs at once time to pose a lethal risk are more likely to have symptoms that actually result in treatment.
Though the number of such acute cases that result in treatment is not even known because it is an unreported disease they don't keep track of in 48 states.
No what I am saying it there is an unknown number of people living with such nasty things as a result of regular consumption of one of the most parasite and disease ridden animals typically eaten.
Such things are far more likely to simply degrade their quality of life and the tissue in their body in less than obvious ways than to kill them.
How many hunters do you think treat the meat no different than any other meat bought at the grocery store. Say grill it up on a BBQ where the outside is charred and the inside is rare, moist, and delicious? Unknowingly acquire such parasites, and then remain hosts. How many Bubbas think such risks are a bunch of hogwash or don't even know they exist, and so are more likely to catch and spread such things to others?
Certainly there is plenty that have no problems, and then others that only make a mistake on occasion. And some that are just completely naive. With such animals the room for error may be limited.
Double Naught Spy said:
They certainly exist, there is about 40,000 tags issued to residents per year and 1 tag is needed per hog killed, no tag limit an individual can purchase, in a state of about 40 million people, or one tag per 1,000 people (and that is the number of tags, not the number of residents buying them, some are buying multiple, so the number of hog hunters is less than that number.) With many of the same people buying the tags each year, some multiple. I would venture a good portion are from the rural areas of California. So what is the actual number of hunters? 30,000? 20,000 (which would be an average of 2 tags each)? Are many getting several tags and there is even less than that? The number of pig hunters could be rather low, all we know is the number of total tags issued.
Then of course there is those hunters of other game that get a pig tag just in case when they get their annual license, but don't actually use it, yet are part of the total tags issued.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/h_items_2000.pdf
Resident Wild Pig Tag (See Note Below)
2000... 2001 ...2002 ...2003 ...2004 ...2005 ..2006 ...2007 ...2008 ..2009
42,786 46,468 44,744 43,430 45,600 47,400 49,357 45,048 47,461 45,738
*Resident Wild Pig Tags - 2003 and prior stats are for the number of books sold containing 5 tags (hunters could not buy 1 tag, they had to buy a book of 5 tags), 2004 and after stats are for 1 tag
Lifetime Wild Pig Tags - Prior to 2011 lifetime privilege holders were issued a book of 5 tags. In 2011, they were issued up to 5 tags as requested. Stats are the number of tags issued.
No not at all, most people that catch such things don't die from them, and those that consume enough infected cysts or eggs at once time to pose a lethal risk are more likely to have symptoms that actually result in treatment.
Though the number of such acute cases that result in treatment is not even known because it is an unreported disease they don't keep track of in 48 states.
No what I am saying it there is an unknown number of people living with such nasty things as a result of regular consumption of one of the most parasite and disease ridden animals typically eaten.
Such things are far more likely to simply degrade their quality of life and the tissue in their body in less than obvious ways than to kill them.
How many hunters do you think treat the meat no different than any other meat bought at the grocery store. Say grill it up on a BBQ where the outside is charred and the inside is rare, moist, and delicious? Unknowingly acquire such parasites, and then remain hosts. How many Bubbas think such risks are a bunch of hogwash or don't even know they exist, and so are more likely to catch and spread such things to others?
Certainly there is plenty that have no problems, and then others that only make a mistake on occasion. And some that are just completely naive. With such animals the room for error may be limited.
Double Naught Spy said:
They certainly exist, there is about 40,000 tags issued to residents per year and 1 tag is needed per hog killed, no tag limit an individual can purchase, in a state of about 40 million people, or one tag per 1,000 people (and that is the number of tags, not the number of residents buying them, some are buying multiple, so the number of hog hunters is less than that number.) With many of the same people buying the tags each year, some multiple. I would venture a good portion are from the rural areas of California. So what is the actual number of hunters? 30,000? 20,000 (which would be an average of 2 tags each)? Are many getting several tags and there is even less than that? The number of pig hunters could be rather low, all we know is the number of total tags issued.
Then of course there is those hunters of other game that get a pig tag just in case when they get their annual license, but don't actually use it, yet are part of the total tags issued.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/h_items_2000.pdf
Resident Wild Pig Tag (See Note Below)
2000... 2001 ...2002 ...2003 ...2004 ...2005 ..2006 ...2007 ...2008 ..2009
42,786 46,468 44,744 43,430 45,600 47,400 49,357 45,048 47,461 45,738
*Resident Wild Pig Tags - 2003 and prior stats are for the number of books sold containing 5 tags (hunters could not buy 1 tag, they had to buy a book of 5 tags), 2004 and after stats are for 1 tag
Lifetime Wild Pig Tags - Prior to 2011 lifetime privilege holders were issued a book of 5 tags. In 2011, they were issued up to 5 tags as requested. Stats are the number of tags issued.
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Flintknapper
Member
In the course of this discussion….it is well to remember that the transmission of Parasites/Disease is NOT necessarily confined to the consumption of the meat resource.
I mention this only because the focus of many hunters is the culinary reward of their efforts afield and not the careful processing of the same.
Most folks these days are aware of the need to fully cook pork products, but the greater point (well made by Zoogster) is that the spread of Feral Hogs (and the popularity of hunting/handling them)…. results in an increased risk of infection for both humans and wildlife.
You do NOT have to eat/consume the flesh of an infected animal to contract a disease! Swine Brucellosis is but one example. Pseudorabies does not affect humans but is devastating to many animals (wild and domestic).
Swine Brucellosis & Pseudorabies
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=19574
Tularemia
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=125238
There will always be those who will take the position “If it were such a problem, then why don’t we hear more about it ”, to wit….I would reply, there simply are not exhaustive studies/records (at present) to provide exact data. So…. it makes sense to err on the safe side.
Conversely, there are also alarmists (not applicable here IMO) who will overstate a concern.
With regards to the subject(s) of this thread, it IS well documented…. that Feral Hogs are susceptible to (if not having a propensity for) harboring numerous diseases. That is a fact too plain to require argument.
Armed with that information alone….those who hunt, handle or consume Feral Hogs should take precautions to minimize the risks.
For those simply interested in reducing the numbers of these pests (that would be me), please do so with vigor and at every opportunity.
Feral Hogs are much more than an invasive species, they are a SCOURGE!
And that’s my unsolicited .02 on it.
Flint.
I mention this only because the focus of many hunters is the culinary reward of their efforts afield and not the careful processing of the same.
Most folks these days are aware of the need to fully cook pork products, but the greater point (well made by Zoogster) is that the spread of Feral Hogs (and the popularity of hunting/handling them)…. results in an increased risk of infection for both humans and wildlife.
You do NOT have to eat/consume the flesh of an infected animal to contract a disease! Swine Brucellosis is but one example. Pseudorabies does not affect humans but is devastating to many animals (wild and domestic).
Swine Brucellosis & Pseudorabies
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=19574
Tularemia
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=125238
There will always be those who will take the position “If it were such a problem, then why don’t we hear more about it ”, to wit….I would reply, there simply are not exhaustive studies/records (at present) to provide exact data. So…. it makes sense to err on the safe side.
Conversely, there are also alarmists (not applicable here IMO) who will overstate a concern.
With regards to the subject(s) of this thread, it IS well documented…. that Feral Hogs are susceptible to (if not having a propensity for) harboring numerous diseases. That is a fact too plain to require argument.
Armed with that information alone….those who hunt, handle or consume Feral Hogs should take precautions to minimize the risks.
For those simply interested in reducing the numbers of these pests (that would be me), please do so with vigor and at every opportunity.
Feral Hogs are much more than an invasive species, they are a SCOURGE!
And that’s my unsolicited .02 on it.
Flint.
JimKirk
Member
Shadow 7D
Member
Flint, what does down wind of a decent pryer of hogs smell like, I know from you exploits, that you could build some stacks almost 20 feet tall (3 times over head for surfers)
Flintknapper
Member
These guys definitely have the right idea!
Stack ‘em up (as high and as often as you can)!
It was posted here:
It hadn’t occurred to me before… to burn the carcasses….but if you were to soak a hog in paraffin, then use it’s tail for a wick….it would make a good light for a LONG time.
Put a few out in the pasture impaled on sticks and I’m guessing my hog problem would rapidly decline (they learn fast).
Stack ‘em up (as high and as often as you can)!
It was posted here:
It hadn’t occurred to me before… to burn the carcasses….but if you were to soak a hog in paraffin, then use it’s tail for a wick….it would make a good light for a LONG time.
Put a few out in the pasture impaled on sticks and I’m guessing my hog problem would rapidly decline (they learn fast).
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Shadow 7D
Member
My neighbor, an older gentleman whose family had a few (10? 100's?) thousand acres in Nor Cal, used to swear that nailing shot squirrels to the walnut trees kept the rest of the buggers away.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
LOL, now you are changing your tune. First you said there weren't many hog hunters in California that regularly hunt the animals. Now you say that hunting is limited by law. That isn't the same thing and there is a considerable amount of hog hunting in California that is off the books that is done for the protection of crops and property. Funny how you are claiming that there is such a problem even though it isn't reported except in a very limited area ("brain worms"), but you fail to recognize hunters that aren't reported. You are using the data when they suit you, ignoring them when they don't.
With that said, no tags are required for with a depredation permit. Your 40K figure ONLY applies to sport hunting. Depredation tags, separate from hunting tags, are only required if removing the hog from the property where it was killed. Additionally, there are "immediate take" provisions as well that require neither a license or a tag. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/pig/depredation.html
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/warden/SOP/LexipolPolicyManual.pdf
All of a sudden, your per capita tag figure based on 40K tags looks pretty bogus since it only applies to sport hunting.
Whether or not there are a lot of hunters going after hog isn't relevant to being per capita as the percent of people may be low, but their numbers still be large. Heck if just one half of one percent of the folks in the US hunt hogs (that sounds like a really small per capita number, doesn't it?), that means there are 1,535,000 hog hunters out there. That is a pretty big number if you think about it, huh?
If you go back and look up information on the vineyards and farming operations in areas where hogs occur in California, you will find a considerable number of regular hog hunters, not sport hunters, but hunters none-the-less.
alsaqr
Member
Sounds Chicken Little-ish to me too. Just cook the hog meat and theres no problem. Eating raw or undercooked hog meat of any kind is very dangerous.
There are several pairs of long kitchen gloves in my truck. Before touching a wild hog the gloves go on.
Double Naught Spy said:
Never changed any tune, the purpose of my explanation was to break down the numbers based on tags issued.
Every pig taking in sport hunting requires a tag, and there is no legal maximum limit to the number of tags a person can buy. This means people are free to buy as many hog tags as they want, and there is only around 40,000 issued for residents annually in the last 10 years.
With some of the limited pig hunters having multiple tags, as it is one of the only large game animals with no annual limit, so those that want to kill as many as they wish can, but they have to buy a tag to do it legally per hog. (Deer for example have a max limit of 2 per year, and in many parts of the state it can take a person years in a hunting lottery to even win a single deer tag.)
So the actual number of hog hunters in California is less than the number of tags issued. That puts the hunters likely in the 10,000-30,000 range with only around 40,000 tags issued a year.
In a state of nearly 40 million legal residents.
You could find that many hunters in a small city in Texas.
So California has very few pig hunters, both total and per capita.
Double Naught Spysaid:
You can add some more for depredation, but I doubt there is that many people killing and eating them under that program, sport hunting is sure to account for more.
In fact here is some stats on depredation takes based on the number reported by those with the permits:
from 2002-2006 (so for 4 years, divide the number by 4 for a annual average)
http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/AgMRC_IB33v3_13C1D662ADDAE.pdf
Approximate Based on the bars:
Other 48 counties (total): 230
Stanislaus: 40? <100
Mariposa: 70? <100
Sonoma: 70? <100
Merced: 70? <100
Alameda: 70? <100
Santa Barbara: 80? <100
Madera 100
Santa Clara: 165
San Luis Obispo: 175
Monterey: 500
San Benito: 1150
So in 4 years all counties are reporting less than a fraction of the 40,000 sport tags per year in depredation.
It is a much smaller number than the sport hunters, (which are already a small number.) It is not even 1,000 a year. So your talking about something like 2.5% of the total.
Never changed any tune, the purpose of my explanation was to break down the numbers based on tags issued.
Every pig taking in sport hunting requires a tag, and there is no legal maximum limit to the number of tags a person can buy. This means people are free to buy as many hog tags as they want, and there is only around 40,000 issued for residents annually in the last 10 years.
With some of the limited pig hunters having multiple tags, as it is one of the only large game animals with no annual limit, so those that want to kill as many as they wish can, but they have to buy a tag to do it legally per hog. (Deer for example have a max limit of 2 per year, and in many parts of the state it can take a person years in a hunting lottery to even win a single deer tag.)
So the actual number of hog hunters in California is less than the number of tags issued. That puts the hunters likely in the 10,000-30,000 range with only around 40,000 tags issued a year.
In a state of nearly 40 million legal residents.
You could find that many hunters in a small city in Texas.
So California has very few pig hunters, both total and per capita.
Double Naught Spysaid:
You can add some more for depredation, but I doubt there is that many people killing and eating them under that program, sport hunting is sure to account for more.
In fact here is some stats on depredation takes based on the number reported by those with the permits:
from 2002-2006 (so for 4 years, divide the number by 4 for a annual average)
http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/AgMRC_IB33v3_13C1D662ADDAE.pdf
Approximate Based on the bars:
Other 48 counties (total): 230
Stanislaus: 40? <100
Mariposa: 70? <100
Sonoma: 70? <100
Merced: 70? <100
Alameda: 70? <100
Santa Barbara: 80? <100
Madera 100
Santa Clara: 165
San Luis Obispo: 175
Monterey: 500
San Benito: 1150
So in 4 years all counties are reporting less than a fraction of the 40,000 sport tags per year in depredation.
It is a much smaller number than the sport hunters, (which are already a small number.) It is not even 1,000 a year. So your talking about something like 2.5% of the total.
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Cob
Member
This is the first I've heard of this, very interesting... I've seen different types of worms in game we commonly eat such as "wolves" as we have always called them in squirrels & deer; & aquatic, internal worms in big saltwater fish such as grouper & amberjack out of the gulf of mexico. never heard of a "brain worm" in a hog till this post.
I'm assuming if cooked to proper temp., then just another bite of protein?
Any idea what ype of of temp. they can withstand?
I'm assuming if cooked to proper temp., then just another bite of protein?
Any idea what ype of of temp. they can withstand?
dprice3844444
member
flintknapper,it's no worse then some of the women we have all dated at 1 time or another
Johnny_Come_Lately
Member
I know I must be getting old. Remind me again of the topic.
The FDA long recommended 170f (thermometer reading in the thickest coldest part of meat) for pork.
In more recent times and with the greatly increased safety of US commercial pork they have gone down to a minimum of 160F internal temperature for pork.
That will kill the bad stuff with some margin of error.
Considering it is dirty wild pork the old 170F minimum internal temperature would probably be the smarter bet.
Reaching such temperatures will typically require the meat to be wrapped in something like tinfoil or otherwise cooked in moist heat to avoid becoming dry.
I would avoid unwrapped BBQ and spit/Rotisserie type cooking as reaching a safe internal temperature in the thickest portion before the outside is too dry would be harder.
Of course one still has to realize the risk while cleaning the animal as well and be safe. Some people have gotten sick by letting the meat touch something, and then cross contaminating some other food even though they cook the meat itself fine. As Flintknapper points out.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Since this seems to be the crux of your argument for saying that the sky is falling...
what are the data that show that wild pork in the US is highly infected?
Just because the parasite can be found in a lot of groups does not mean that there is a lot of the parasite or that it inhabits a lot of individuals.
You claim all the data for the "brain worm" problem are under reported but also state wild pork is highly infected. If you know it to be highly infected, then surely you have the data from the US to support the claim. I am very curious as to what sorts of numbers we are talking about when we talk about wild pigs being "highly infected" as a population.
what are the data that show that wild pork in the US is highly infected?
Just because the parasite can be found in a lot of groups does not mean that there is a lot of the parasite or that it inhabits a lot of individuals.
You claim all the data for the "brain worm" problem are under reported but also state wild pork is highly infected. If you know it to be highly infected, then surely you have the data from the US to support the claim. I am very curious as to what sorts of numbers we are talking about when we talk about wild pigs being "highly infected" as a population.
Flintknapper
Member
Suffice….to say, that there is enough risk handling/consuming Feral Hogs as is. A larger population (and more contact with them)….pretty much ensures the spread of the diseases they carry. It’s only a question of how much.
No broad based, peer reviewed scientific studies are really necessary to figure that out.
_____________________________________________
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/215589-overview
"Cysticercosis (ie, tapeworm infection) is an increasingly common medical problem in the United States, especially in the Southwest and other areas where large populations migrated from endemic areas and among populations that often travel to these areas.
United States
Approximately 1,000 new cases of cysticercosis are reported annually in the United States.
International
An estimated 50-100 million people are infected with cysticercosis worldwide. This is probably an underestimate since many infections go undiagnosed.
Humans can be infected with eggs through fecal-oral transmission or possibly through autoinfection. Fecal-oral contamination usually occurs via infected food handlers via ingestion of fruit and vegetables fertilized with contaminated human waste.
The eggs are sticky and can often be found under the fingers of tapeworm carriers. Thus, even populations who do not eat pork can develop cysticercosis. The egg-containing feces can contaminate water supplies in endemic areas
Cysticerci are able to survive in the human brain by disarming host defenses."
http://www.texassporthunter.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=24.0
"Feral hogs long have been known to carry dozens of types of contagious diseases, many of which can be spread to domestic livestock and, on occasion, to humans.
Recent research by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University at Kingsville substantiated the prevalence of diseases in wild herds.
Twenty-eight percent of almost 350 feral hogs from South and East Texas tested positive for antibodies for pseudorabies, a viral disease that can be transmitted to domestic swine, cattle, horse, sheep and even dogs and cats.
Brucellosis antibodies were found in 18 percent of the feral hogs.
Brucellosis also is transmittable to domestic livestock, including cattle, horses and swine. Plus, it's transmittable to humans, in which the bacteria causes flu-like symptoms and can prove life-threatening in some cases."
____________________________________________________
Bottom line: Feral Hogs= BAD!
Kill all of them you can AND be careful handling them (if at all).
No broad based, peer reviewed scientific studies are really necessary to figure that out.
_____________________________________________
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/215589-overview
"Cysticercosis (ie, tapeworm infection) is an increasingly common medical problem in the United States, especially in the Southwest and other areas where large populations migrated from endemic areas and among populations that often travel to these areas.
United States
Approximately 1,000 new cases of cysticercosis are reported annually in the United States.
International
An estimated 50-100 million people are infected with cysticercosis worldwide. This is probably an underestimate since many infections go undiagnosed.
Humans can be infected with eggs through fecal-oral transmission or possibly through autoinfection. Fecal-oral contamination usually occurs via infected food handlers via ingestion of fruit and vegetables fertilized with contaminated human waste.
The eggs are sticky and can often be found under the fingers of tapeworm carriers. Thus, even populations who do not eat pork can develop cysticercosis. The egg-containing feces can contaminate water supplies in endemic areas
Cysticerci are able to survive in the human brain by disarming host defenses."
http://www.texassporthunter.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=24.0
"Feral hogs long have been known to carry dozens of types of contagious diseases, many of which can be spread to domestic livestock and, on occasion, to humans.
Recent research by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University at Kingsville substantiated the prevalence of diseases in wild herds.
Twenty-eight percent of almost 350 feral hogs from South and East Texas tested positive for antibodies for pseudorabies, a viral disease that can be transmitted to domestic swine, cattle, horse, sheep and even dogs and cats.
Brucellosis antibodies were found in 18 percent of the feral hogs.
Brucellosis also is transmittable to domestic livestock, including cattle, horses and swine. Plus, it's transmittable to humans, in which the bacteria causes flu-like symptoms and can prove life-threatening in some cases."
____________________________________________________
Bottom line: Feral Hogs= BAD!
Kill all of them you can AND be careful handling them (if at all).
- Status
