Mecklenburg-Vorpommern District

ASP Germany: First wild boar case in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The first case of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar has been confirmed in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A dead 20 kg male wild boar piglet found during a hunt turned out positive.

With the discovery, wild boars in all 3 German federal states bordering on Poland have now become infected with ASF. The federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony had previously also been infected. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania made headlines last week because this wild boar infection was preceded by an infected pig farm where just over 4,000 pigs had to be killed.

ASF in wild boar in unusual location

And just like the farm in this state, these wild boar cases came in a somewhat unusual place, appearing in an area far removed from other known outbreak hotspots. The carcass was found in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, in a piece of forest in the Ruhmer mountains. On the map below it is the westernmost marker.

As far as the route of infection is concerned, the first impression is that it says “human”. As the crow flies, the find is 150 km away from the nearest other wild boar sites in the state of Brandenburg, all fairly close to the border with Poland. The distance to the infected farm is also 60 km. Since the find was relatively close to Autobahn 24, which runs between Berlin and Hamburg, it looks like a classic case of the “infected pig loaf” being thrown out the window. Signs are posted at every rest area throughout Germany warning of ASF and urging drivers to dispose of their rubbish carefully.

As early as 2015, there were warning signs on the motorways in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania asking drivers to dispose of their rubbish carefully.  - Photo: Vincent ter Beek

As early as 2015, there were warning signs on the motorways in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania asking drivers to dispose of their rubbish carefully. – Photo: Vincent ter Beek

Perhaps most worrying about this finding is its proximity to the pig-rich state of Lower Saxony, just 45 km away.

Difficult day after ASF confirmation

The infection was confirmed by the German reference laboratory Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and also reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Minister of State Dr. In a press release, Till Backhaus spoke of a “difficult day”: “Now exactly what we wanted to prevent happened. Now it is important that we work through the case thoroughly with all the authorities involved. The Brandenburg authorities are also already involved, as the restricted zones to be set up extend into the neighboring federal state.”

The hunters who found the first infected piglet sent samples of all their hunted animals for control. The area has been intensively monitored for ASF since 2018. In the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim alone, 128 wild boar carcasses were sampled this year, mostly from animals that had been shot or killed on the road; 1,503 pigs have also been tested to date.

The 3 other cases were found in one

ASP isolated case or not?

dr Backhaus: “The main question here is whether the identified individual case persists or whether it is an event of greater magnitude.” This is followed by increased surveillance through the use of drones and search dogs.

Wild boar infections in Germany

With the find in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the number of wild boar cases in Germany has exceeded the 2,800 mark. Based on the data collected so far, October 2021 was the worst month to date with 344 infected wild boar reported. The previous record was for July 2021 with 309 cases. The full figures for November have yet to be provided.

In the last 5 complete months (June-October), the total number of ASF cases in wild boar in Germany exceeded that in western Poland. On the Polish side, this can be explained by the seasonal nature of the virus, with high numbers of victims in winter and lower numbers in summer. In Germany, however, the seasonal nature of the outbreaks is not reflected in the number of reports, as there is an upward trend in summer.

ASF virus is approaching the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic may also have to worry about the virus entering the country soon. The ASF virus has been found relatively strongly in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of Poland in recent months, and the virus is bound south there. In October 2021, a record 72 infected wild boar were found in this province, the numbers there have never been higher. The closest case to the Czech border was only 18 km away.