Porcine enteric coronavirus infections in wild boar in Poland - a pilot study

Introduction: Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) of the Coronaviridae family causes significant economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. Wild boars contribute to the transmission of different viral, bacterial and parasitic infections to livestock animals and humans. However, their role in the maintenance and transmission of PEDV has not been established. Material and Methods: In this study, blood and faecal samples from 157 wild boars were collected from 14 provinces of Poland during the 2017-2018 hunting season. RNA was extracted from the faecal homogenate supernatant and subjected to quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR), while clotted blood samples were used for detection of antibodies against PEDV by ELISA. Results: Five blood samples (3.2%) were seropositive in ELISA, while none of the faecal samples were found positive using RT-qPCR assays. Conclusion: The results of this analysis indicate the need for additional studies incorporating a larger number of samples and preferably comparing different serological methods, to confirm whether wild boars in Poland act as PEDV reservoirs.