The number of wild boar carcasses that have tested positive to African swine fever has risen to 32, according to Walloon Minister of Agriculture, René Collin. All the infected wild boar have been found in the same area, a zone measuring 2,500 hectare in South East Wallonia, on the border with Luxembourg.
In total, 96 wild boar carcasses have been collected, including 70 in the perimeter where previous infected wild boars had been found, the minister’s office communicates. Of these 70, there are now 32 viropositive cases. The wild boar collected outside the perimeter all tested negative for the virus. “This is good news, as it shows that the virus hasn’t spread,” explains Pierre Wiliquet, spokes-person for Minister Collin.
The next step is to compare the DNA samples from the infected animals with European databases. The objective would be to determine the genetic profile of the infected animals and analyse them in comparison to the various profiles of wild boar present in Wallonia.
How the virus arrived to the Belgian province, in September, still remains a mystery. The genetic analyses of the infected wild boars, should help in giving better answers and narrow some of the possible routes.
The Brussels Times
