SYDNEY, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- An epidemiology at the University of Sydney has warned that a disease carried by feral pigs poses a risk to humans and dogs.
Dr. Siobhan Mor explained to Xinhua on Tuesday that swine brucellosis is a bacterial disease which is transmitted by blood to blood contact.
Although the illness can be found worldwide, Australia has mostly eradicated it.
Domestic pigs for example do not carry the infectious disease, however in recent years swine brucellosis appears to be on rise.
"The principal risk group are hunters, but also to people interacting with dogs which could have eaten uncooked wild pig meat," Mor explained.
"I suspect there is great risk to people in contact with dogs as they are giving birth, or veterinarians handling these dogs in surgical contact."
Studies of small sample sizes conducted a number of years ago in the State of New South Wales (NSW) suggest that 20 percent of feral pigs might be infected, according to Mor.
"But now feral pigs are on the move, we can't really tell how far or widespread it is," Mor said.
Currently the University of Sydney along with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) NSW, have began research to understand how commonly it is being transferred from pigs to dogs.
Although mostly contained to rural areas in Northern NSW and Queensland State, a dog was recently diagnosed in Sydney, which sparked fears the problem could be vastly more widespread than once thought.
The DPI NSW explained to Xinhua that "they will continue to engage with the local veterinarians to ensure they have the information and support necessary to manage the small number of cases."
Adding that they will collaborate with NSW Health and Local Land Services to understand the risk posed by the disease and how best to manage it within the community, the spokesperson said.
Although the flu-like illness is rarely fatal for humans and is able to be treated with antibiotics, complications from swine brucellosis can cause arthritis, joint pain, swollen testicles in men and infertility in women.
"It can also cause quite severe depression that makes people feel like they wish they were dead," Mor said.
"It's certainly a nasty disease ... and does require an early diagnosis as there is a fairly high chance of relapse, so it is considered a chronic disease."
For Mor, "human behaviour and taking precautions" is the key to protect against the further spread of the disease.
