Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks
Feral pigs threaten biodiversity in 54 countries and cause an estimated $120 billion in damages annually in the USA. They endanger over 600 native species and have driven 14 to extinction. Additionally, they pose a significant zoonotic disease risk, carrying pathogens such as Brucella, leptospirosis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2025-05-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/102643 |
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| author | Tatiana Proboste Abigail Turnlund Andrew Bengsen Matthew Gentle Cameron Wilson Lana Harriott Richard A Fuller Darren Marshall Ricardo J Soares-Magalhaes |
| author_facet | Tatiana Proboste Abigail Turnlund Andrew Bengsen Matthew Gentle Cameron Wilson Lana Harriott Richard A Fuller Darren Marshall Ricardo J Soares-Magalhaes |
| author_sort | Tatiana Proboste |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Feral pigs threaten biodiversity in 54 countries and cause an estimated $120 billion in damages annually in the USA. They endanger over 600 native species and have driven 14 to extinction. Additionally, they pose a significant zoonotic disease risk, carrying pathogens such as Brucella, leptospirosis, and Japanese encephalitis. Understanding and controlling disease spread relies on models of social dynamics, but these vary widely across regions, limiting the transferability of findings from the USA and Europe to other locations like Australia. This study addresses this gap by analysing the social interactions of 146 GPS-tracked feral pigs in Australia using a proximity-based social network approach. Findings reveal that females exhibit stronger group cohesion, while males act as key connectors between groups. Contact rates are high within groups, facilitating rapid intra-group disease spread, whereas inter-group transmission is slower. Seasonal variations further impact dynamics, with increased contact in summer. These insights suggest that targeting adult males in control programs could help limit disease outbreaks. Given the rising economic and public health concerns associated with animal diseases, the study highlights the need for localized strategies based on feral pig social behaviour to enhance global control efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5fc50c5169194e7d9f4702ea691d205e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj-art-5fc50c5169194e7d9f4702ea691d205e2025-08-20T02:15:55ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-05-011310.7554/eLife.102643Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networksTatiana Proboste0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5274-7179Abigail Turnlund1Andrew Bengsen2Matthew Gentle3Cameron Wilson4Lana Harriott5Richard A Fuller6Darren Marshall7Ricardo J Soares-Magalhaes8School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaThe University of Queensland, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, Brisbane, AustraliaNSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Orange, AustraliaPest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Australia; School of Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, AustraliaPest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, AustraliaPest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, AustraliaSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaCentre for Invasive Species Solutions, S. Bruce Australian Capital Territory, Bruce, AustraliaSchool of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaFeral pigs threaten biodiversity in 54 countries and cause an estimated $120 billion in damages annually in the USA. They endanger over 600 native species and have driven 14 to extinction. Additionally, they pose a significant zoonotic disease risk, carrying pathogens such as Brucella, leptospirosis, and Japanese encephalitis. Understanding and controlling disease spread relies on models of social dynamics, but these vary widely across regions, limiting the transferability of findings from the USA and Europe to other locations like Australia. This study addresses this gap by analysing the social interactions of 146 GPS-tracked feral pigs in Australia using a proximity-based social network approach. Findings reveal that females exhibit stronger group cohesion, while males act as key connectors between groups. Contact rates are high within groups, facilitating rapid intra-group disease spread, whereas inter-group transmission is slower. Seasonal variations further impact dynamics, with increased contact in summer. These insights suggest that targeting adult males in control programs could help limit disease outbreaks. Given the rising economic and public health concerns associated with animal diseases, the study highlights the need for localized strategies based on feral pig social behaviour to enhance global control efforts.https://elifesciences.org/articles/102643sus scrofaferal pigsnetwork analysiscontact ratedisease modelingaustralia |
| spellingShingle | Tatiana Proboste Abigail Turnlund Andrew Bengsen Matthew Gentle Cameron Wilson Lana Harriott Richard A Fuller Darren Marshall Ricardo J Soares-Magalhaes Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks eLife sus scrofa feral pigs network analysis contact rate disease modeling australia |
| title | Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| title_full | Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| title_short | Quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| title_sort | quantifying feral pig interactions to inform disease transmission networks |
| topic | sus scrofa feral pigs network analysis contact rate disease modeling australia |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/102643 |
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