| Summary: | An unexpected high presence of <i>Mycobacterium</i> <i>microti</i> in wild boar in Northern Italy (Garda Lake) has been reported since 2003, but the factors contributing to the maintenance of this pathogen are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the presence of <i>M.</i> <i>microti</i> in wild rodents and in water and soil samples collected at wild boar aggregation areas, such as watering holes, with the aim of clarifying their role in <i>M.</i> <i>microti</i> transmission. In total, 8 out of 120 captured animals tested positive for the <i>Mycobacterium</i> <i>tuberculosis</i> complex (MTBC) as assessed by real-time PCR, and six samples were confirmed to be <i>M.</i> <i>microti</i>. A strain with a genetic profile similar to those previously isolated in wild boars in the same area was isolated from one sample. Of the 20 water and 19 mud samples, 3 and 1, respectively, tested positive for the presence of MTBC, and spacer oligotype SB0118 (vole type) was detected in one sample. Our study suggests that wild rodents, in particular <i>Apodemus</i> <i>sylvaticus</i>, <i>Microtus</i> sp. and <i>Apodemus</i> <i>flavicollis</i>, play roles in the maintenance of <i>M.</i> <i>microti</i> infections in wild boar through ingestion or by contact with either infected excreta or a contaminated environment, such as at animal aggregation sites.
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