Adamu, Andrew M., Firth, Cadhla, Gummow, Bruce, Hoskins, Andrew J., Hickson, Roslyn, Di Rubbo, Antonio, Agnihotri, Kalpana, Williams, David T., and Horwood, Paul F. (2026) Evidence of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Exposure in Feral Pig Populations in North Queensland, Australia. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. (In Press)

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Abstract

Several animal species, including horses and pigs, can be infected with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Feral pigs (Sus scrofa)are considered an effective amplifying host for JEV in natural habitats. In this study, 265 dried blood spots were collected fromferal pigs in four selected North Queensland local government areas, and antibodies against JEV were detected using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). The results showed that 26.4% (70/265) of the feral pigs had antibodies specific to JEV. We found a significant difference in the seroprevalence of JEV in the Wet Tropics (p<0:05), compared to the Dry Tropics region of North Queensland. The results indicate that feral pigs in North Queensland have been exposed to JEV, suggesting that they may play an important role as an amplifying host. These findings may inform the planning of mitigation measures through a multisectoral One Health approach.

Item ID:	94594
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1865-1682
Copyright Information:	Copyright © 2026 Andrew M. Adamu et al. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Date Deposited:	09 Nov 2026 05:44
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3009 Veterinary sciences > 300905 Veterinary epidemiology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200499 Public health (excl. specific population health) not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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