Summary: Serum samples collected from 178 shot wild boars (Sus scrofa) were tested for the presence of antibodies against classical swine fever virus, Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), transmissible gastroenteritis virus, swine influenza virus, porcine parvovirus (PPV), swine vesicular disease virus, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Salmonella spp., Brucella spp. and Haemophilus parasuis (HPS) throughout Slovenia during the hunting season 2003/2004. The number of samples corresponds to 3% of the total hunting bag. By enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibodies against ADV were detected in 55 sera (31%), against PRCV in five sera (3%), PPV in 87 sera (49%), APP in 93 sera (52%), M. hyopneumoniae in 38 sera (21%), Salmonella spp. in 85 sera (47%) and HPS in 33 sera (18%).

Serum samples from 427 hunter-killed wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Slovenia were tested for antibodies to Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV). Samples were collected throughout Slovenia and corresponded to 6.2% of the total harvest. Antibodies against ADV were detected in 111 sera (26%) using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibody prevalence increased significantly with age. This report describes the first evidence of ADV infection in wild boar populations in Slovenia.

A total of 249 serum samples from 13 wild animal species namely fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 1), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 80), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 22), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra, n = 21), mouflon (Ovis musimon, n = 4), brown hare (Lepus europaeus, n = 2), nutria (Myocastor coypus, n = 1), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 97), stone marten (Martes foina, n = 12), European badger (Meles meles, n = 2), golden jackal (Canis aureus, n = 2) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx, n = 2) and grey wolf (Canis lupus, n = 3) were analysed for the presence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto. Serum samples were examined via the microscopic agglutination test for the presence of specific antibodies against Leptospira serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Bratislava, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Sejroe, Australis, Autumnalis, Canicola, Saxkoebing and Tarassovi. Antibodies to at least one of the pathogenic serovars were detected in 77 (30.9%; CI = 25–37%) sera. The proportion of positive samples varied intraspecifically and was the biggest in large carnivores (lynx, wolf and jackal; 86%), followed by mezzo predators: stone marten (67%) and red fox (34%), and large herbivores: red deer (32%), roe deer (25%), alpine chamois (10%) and mouflon (0%). Out of the 77 positive samples, 42 samples (53.8%) had positive titres against a single serovar, while 35 (45.4%) samples had positive titres against two or more serovars. The most frequently detected antibodies were those against the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. The present study confirmed the presence of multiple pathogenic serovars in wildlife throughout Slovenia. It can be concluded that wild animals are reservoirs for at least some of the leptospiral serovars and are a potential source of leptospirosis for other wild and domestic animals, as well as for humans.

In this paper, we provide an overview of the causes of death of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) diagnosed within the national passive health surveillance of roe deer in Slovenia. From 2000 to 2019, postmortem examinations of 510 free-ranging roe deer provided by hunters were conducted at the Veterinary Faculty, Slovenia. A comprehensive necropsy was performed. According to the results of the necropsy, the samples were subjected to microscopic, histopathological, bacteriological, parasitological, or virological examination. The most frequent causes of death in roe deer were infectious diseases (67%), followed by noninfectious diseases (28%). Of all deaths, parasitic infections represented 48%, bacterial infections 14.8%, trauma 12.5%, and metabolic disorders 9.8%. Less frequent causes were diseases like neoplasia and mycotic infections, winter starvation, hernias, and lightning strike. This study covered an estimated 1% of the total disease-related mortality of roe deer in Slovenia. Comparisons of sex/age structure indicated that hunters did not provide random samples (e.g., young males were disproportionately represented). Therefore, such monitoring does not ensure an unbiased assessment of the significance of the individual disease for the mortality of the population; however, it can provide credible evidence of whether or not a particular disease is present in a population. We show that no identified disease in roe deer in Slovenia can be considered a significant health threat to roe deer, other wildlife species, or humans.