Author Correction: The potential role of scavengers in spreading African swine fever among wild boar.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The potential role of scavengers in spreading African swine fever among wild boar.

Understanding the transmission patterns of African swine fever (ASF) among wild boar (Sus scrofa) is an issue of major interest, especially in the wake of the current ASF epidemic. Given the high stability of ASF-virus, there is concern about scavengers spreading infectious carcass material in the environment. Here, we describe scavenging activities on 32 wild boar carcasses in their natural habitat in Germany. Using digital cameras, we detected 22 vertebrates at the study sites, thereof two mammal and three bird species scavenging. The most frequently detected species was the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides (44% of all visits). Raccoon dogs, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and buzzards (Buteo buteo) scavenged in the warm and the cold season, while ravens (Corvus corax) and white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) scavenged only in the cold season. In summer, however, insects removed most of the carcass biomass. Although most of the material was consumed on the spot, foxes, raccoon dogs and ravens left the study sites in rare cases with a small piece of meat in their mouths or beaks. We conclude that scavengers represent a minor risk factor for spreading ASF, but may contribute to reducing local virus persistence by metabolizing infected carcasses.

Behaviour of free ranging wild boar towards their dead fellows: potential implications for the transmission of African swine fever.

The behaviour of free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) towards carcasses of their conspecifics potentially infected with African swine fever (ASF) may significantly influence the course of an ASF epidemic. This study aims to better understand the behaviour of wild boar towards their dead fellows. Thirty-two wild boar carcasses on nine study sites in northeast Germany were monitored under field conditions by photo-trapping from October 2015 until October 2016. During this period, a total of 122 160 pictures were taken, thereof 16 111 pictures of wild boar. In both winter and summer, wild boar seemed to be particularly interested in the soil next to and underneath the carcasses. About one third of the visits of wild boar led to direct contact with dead conspecifics. The contacts consisted mostly in sniffing and poking on the carcass. Under the given ecological and climatic conditions, there was no evidence for intra-species scavenging. However, piglets were observed several times chewing bare bones once skeletonization of the carcasses was complete. It must be assumed that all these types of contact may represent a risk of transmission. Both the high tenacity of ASF virus and the long time wild boar carcasses can remain in the environment, allow the persistence of the virus for several months or even years. We therefore consider the rapid detection and removal (or destruction on the spot) of contaminated carcasses as an important control measure against ASF in wild boar.