Temperature and pH dynamics during carcass decomposition and implications for disease management
Data files
Aug 27, 2025 version files 27.80 MB
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pHSoil.csv
90.96 KB
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pHWB.CSV
63.35 KB
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README.md
1.56 KB
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Temperature.csv
27.65 MB
Abstract
Infectious diseases in wildlife threaten not only those species but also domestic animals and human health, necessitating strategies to prevent pathogen spread. The natural decomposition of carcasses may lead to pathogen inactivation due to associated increases in temperature and changes in the pH of the carcass and in the surrounding soil. In this study, the internal temperatures of 64 decomposing wild boar carcasses, the pH in the topsoil beneath 74 carcasses, and the pH of muscle and rectal tissue from 12 carcasses were monitored throughout the decomposition process. Carcass temperatures increased during decomposition, frequently exceeding 30°C during aerobic decomposition in summer (maximum 58°C). The pH in the carcasses increased until skeletonization, ranging from pH 4 to above pH 8. Soil pH also continuously increased during the decomposition, reaching a pH above 9 and remaining stable for at least 30 days post-skeletonization. The information on natural carcass decomposition processes provided by our study can serve as a basis for future studies to assess if elevated carcass temperatures and pH changes are sufficient for pathogen inactivation. However, our results suggest that neither the increase in carcass temperatures nor the pH changes surpass the thresholds necessary to inactivate African swine fever virus.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.q83bk3jrt
Description of the data and file structure
Use the relevant script and data for each analysis. E.g., pH soil: use "pHSoil" dataset and "pHSoil-Script".
Files and variables
File: pHSoil.csv, Temperature.csv, pHWB.CSV
Description:
Variables
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Variables:
ID: plot number
MSWB: wild boar in a cage
DOY: Day of the year
Day: day since carcass placement/start of the experiment
exposition_date: date of carcass placement
Series: placement series (4-5 carcasses each series)
Site/IDday: ID and Day
Dercomp: Decomposition stage (1-6, i.e., fresh, putrefaction, bloated, post-bloated, advanced decay, dry remains)
Date: date
DatePH: date of measurement
Time: time of measurement
pH: pH value (1-14)
Temperature: of medium (°C)
pHMin/Max/Mean: minimum, maximum, mean pH
Weight: carcass weight (kg)
Habitat: habitat in which the carcass was placed, i.e., open or closed canopy
Soil: soil condition at the placement site, i.e., wet or dry soil
AirT: mean ambient temperature on that day (°C)
Position: rectal or muscular placement of pH probe
pHMean: mean daily pH
TempMean: daily mean temperature (°C)
pHSd and TempSD: standard deviation of pH and temperature (°C)
InTemp: internal carcass temperature (°C)
R code/Software
R is required to run the scripts. The script was created using version 4.2.2
