Protect Yourself As a hunter, you can protect yourself and your family from diseases commonly found in wild hogs:  Use safe field dressing techniques  Follow food safety tips If you get sick with a flu-like illness, tell your doctor that 

you hunt wild hogs. 

Wear gloves when field dressing to 

protect yourself. 

Photos courtesy of USDA-APHIS-WS 

National Wildlife Disease Program 

To contact your state health department 

for information about brucellosis, visit: 

www.uga.edu/scwds/othersites.html 

For more brucellosis information 

from CDC, visit: 

www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/ 

brucellosis_g.htm

Or call 1-800-CDC-INFO

To contact your state wildlife agency for 

information about wild hogs, visit: 

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies 

www.fishwildlife.org/where_us.html

For more information about 

wild hog damage management, visit: 

USDA Wildlife Services 

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/

Or call 1-866- 4-USDA-WS

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About Wild Hogs 

(Wild / Feral Pigs, Boars & Swine) 

Wild hogs are the descendants of Eurasian wild boar and released or escaped domestic hogs. Today, more than 4 million wild hogs are found in at least 35 states. Wild hogs destroy farmland and crops, compete with native wildlife for food, and can spread disease to other animals and people. Hunting wild hogs is a popular sport among hunters, as well as a population control method supported by wildlife agencies. 

Wild Hogs & Disease 

There are more than 24 diseases that people can get from wild hogs. Most of these diseases make people sick when they eat undercooked meat. 

Brucellosis is different– 

The germs that cause brucellosis are spread among hogs through birthing fluids and semen. Infected hogs carry the germs for life. People may get the germs through contact with an infected hog’s blood, fluids, or tissues (such as muscles, testicles, liver or other organs). 

You May Be At Risk For 

Brucellosis

 You can get sick if blood, fluid, or tissue 

of an infected hog comes in contact with your eyes, nose, mouth, or a skin cut. 

 You and your family can get sick when 

field dressing an infected hog. 

 You and your family can get sick when 

butchering or eating undercooked meat. 

 You may start to feel sick a week to 

months after coming into contact with germs that cause brucellosis. 

Brucellosis Symptoms 

Fever Low appetite 

Chills Fatigue 

Sweating Joint pain 

Headache Muscle pain 

Do You Think You Have 

Brucellosis? 

Diagnosis: 

 If you have these symptoms and are at 

risk, see your doctor immediately. Blood tests can check for brucellosis. 

Treatment: 

 Antibiotics are drugs that can kill the 

germs that cause brucellosis, and should be taken for 6 weeks or longer.

 Take all of the antibiotics as prescribed 

by your doctor to prevent the illness from coming back. 

 If the illness comes back or is not 

treated, you could have serious problems in your bones, joints, or heart. Rarely, brucellosis is fatal. 

How to 

Safe 

 Avoid all con

those found 

 Use clean, s

and butcheri

 Wear eye pr

gloves (dispohandling car

 Avoid direct 

or organs fro

 Burn or bury 

inedible partbutchering. 

 Wash hands 

soap and wamore and dr

 Clean all too

in field dressdisinfectant—(Read the sa

Foo

 Wash hands 

water for 20 

 Clean surfac

water. 

 Separate ra

and other foo

 Cook pork to 

160° F using 

 Chill raw an

For more infor

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