The transmission of viral diseases in wild boar using Rutherford’s atomic model

• Autores: Metz, Germán Ernesto; Echeverría, María Gabriela
• Año de publicación: 2025
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Ciencias Veterinarias; Rutherford’s atomic model; Wild Boars; Viral Diseases
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de La Plata

Throughout history, different atomic models have been theoretical representations that describe the structure and behavior of atoms. At the beginning of the last century, Rutherford proposed an atom with a centralized nucleus and electrons orbiting around it. Here, we use Rutherford’s atomic model as a metaphor to illustrate the dynamic role of wild boars in the spread of viral diseases under a One Health perspective. Although viral transmission is far from a static process, the concept of a ‘‘core’’ and its ‘‘orbits’’ provides a useful framework to reflect the interaction of wild boars with domestic swine in viral transmission. In Argentina, wild boars were introduced early in the last century for hunting purposes. Today, they are widely distributed throughout various parts of the country, coinciding with, or in some cases orbiting around the regions with the highest agricultural and livestock activity. Wild boars cause significant economic losses due to direct and indirect impacts, including changes to flora and fauna, damage to the agricultural and livestock industry and the spread of diseases with public health relevance.
Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias