Prevalence of zoonotic pathogens from feral pigs in major public drinking water catchments in western Australia

Abstract

Australia has the largest number of wild pigs in the world. Their pronounced impacts on agriculture and biodiversity make the estimated 23 million feral pigs one of Australia's most important vertebrate pest species. The foraging and wallowing behavior of pigs can markedly increase the turbidity of water supplies, but more importantly, they can transmit and excrete a number of infectious waterborne organisms pathogenic to humans. Their persistence in drinking water catchments also makes them potentially significant reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens. In this study, important protozoan parasite pathogens, such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Balantidium, and Entamoeba, were detected from the fece..