FERAL SWINE 

HUNTERS:

PROTECT YOURSELF 

AND YOUR

FAMILY FROM 

BRUCELLOSIS

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT 

THIS DISEASE AND HOW TO

HAVE A SAFER HUNT!

What is Brucellosis?

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that is 

spread among feral swine through close 

contact. Infected swine carry these 

bacteria for life.

You can get sick with brucellosis if blood, 

body fluid, or tissues (such as meat, 

testicles, liver, and other organs) from an 

infected animal comes in contact with your 

eyes, nose, mouth, or cuts in your skin.

This disease can cause severe, long-lasting 

health problems, and even death, 

if it is not diagnosed and treated quickly.

Symptoms in Humans

• Fever • Loss of appetite

• Chills • Fatigue

• Night sweats • Joint pain

• Headache • Muscle pain

Symptoms may not develop immediately—

you may start to feel sick between one 

week to six months after coming in contact 

with an infected animal. 

Diagnosis

• Your doctor can perform blood tests that 

check for brucellosis.

Treatment

• Brucellosis can be treated with medicine 

(called antibiotics) if the disease is 

diagnosed quickly.

— You will be prescribed at least two antibiotics

to take for 6-8 weeks or longer.

• Take all of the medicine that you are 

given for as long as the doctor tells you 

to, even if you start to feel better. This 

will prevent symptoms from returning or 

lasting long-term.

— Long-lasting symptoms can include arthritis,

fever, depression, fatigue, or heart infections.

Additional Resources: 

For more information on feral swine in your 

area, visit the website for the Association of 

Fish & Wildlife Agencies. Click on the Members section, and search for your state under 

the list of State Fish & Wildlife Agencies.

Please remember to call your state fish and 

wildlife agency to report sick or dead wildlife. 

http://www.fishwildlife.org 

For more information on brucellosis, visit the 

CDC website. 

http://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/

To learn about feral swine damage 

management, go to the USDA Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service website and 

search “Feral Swine” in the search toolbar. 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov

252515-B
Protect yourself and your 

family from the diseases 

feral swine can spread by 

following these 4 steps:

1 Wear protective 

gear while hunting 

and butchering.

• Wear eye protection such as safety 

glasses or goggles.

• Wear rubber gloves when handling 

carcasses. 

• Wear boots or other closed footwear 

that can be disinfected. 

• Clean gloves and boots with a disinfectant

such as a diluted bleach solution.

10% diluted bleach can be made with one

cup of bleach for every nine cups of water.

2 Use safe 

field dressing 

methods.

• Don’t approach and handle dead 

animals or animals that look sick.

• Prepare game in a well-ventilated area 

with plenty of fresh air, such as outdoors 

or in a room with open windows.

• Do not eat, drink, smoke, or dip tobacco 

while dressing your game.

• Use clean, sharp knives for field 

dressing and butchering.

• Make sure that you have enough 

lighting to see properly. 

• Slow down. Watch your hands and take 

the time to make clean cuts.

• Wash your hands with soap and warm 

water for at least 20 seconds and dry 

them with a clean cloth after dressing.

— If soap and water are not available, use an 

alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wipe.

• Clean any cuts or scratches with soap 

and warm water; treat with an antiseptic 

and cover with a bandage. 

• Clean all tools and surfaces that come 

in contact with the carcass with a 

disinfectant such as diluted bleach.

• Check with your state hunting agency 

for proper disposal of field dressing 

waste (paper products, animal carcass 

and tissues, etc.). 

3 Avoid direct 

contact with 

feral swine.

• Adults and children should not touch the 

carcass with bare hands, and children 

should be kept a safe distance away from 

the field dressing site to reduce the risk of 

being splashed with body fluids. 

• Dogs can also become sick with brucellosis.

The disease can then spread from dogs to 

humans.

— Don’t feed your dog raw meat or let them 

play with the animal carcass.

— If your dog comes in contact with a hog 

during your hunt, watch for signs of illness 

(swollen glands, failed pregnancies, swollen 

testicles, weak newborn puppies).

— Contact your veterinarian with any questions 

or concerns. 

4

Cook your meat 

thoroughly and 

follow food 

safety tips.

• Wash your hands with soap and warm 

water for at least 20 seconds before 

and after preparing the meat.

• Clean surfaces with hot, soapy water 

before and after butchering.

• Separate raw game meat from cooked 

game meat and other foods. 

• Cook game meat to an internal 

temperature of 160°F as measured 

with a food thermometer.

• Chill raw and cooked game meat 

immediately. 

• Freezing, smoking, drying, and 

pickling do not kill the bacteria that 

cause brucellosis. For more 

information on Food Safety, visit: 

www.foodsafety.gov

If you get sick with 

a flu-like illness within 

1 week to 6 months 

after contact with 

feral swine, tell your 

doctor about your 

hunting activity!