Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable disease that in recent years has spread remarkably in Europe and Asia. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) plays a key role in the maintenance and spread of the pathogen. Here we examined gross pathology of infection in wild boar with a highly virulent, hemadsorbing genotype II ASF virus (ASFV) strain. To this end, six wild boars were intramuscularly inoculated with the 10 HAD50 Arm07 ASFV strain, and 11 wild boars were allowed to come into direct contact with the inoculated animals. No animals survived the infection. Clinical course, gross pathological findings and viral genome quantification by PCR in tissues did not differ between intramuscularly inoculated or contact-infected animals. Postmortem analysis showed enlargement of liver and spleen; serosanguinous effusion in body cavities; and multiple hemorrhages in lungs, endocardium, brain, kidneys, urinary bladder, pancreas, and alimentary system. These results provide detailed insights into the gross pathology of wild boar infected with a highly virulent genotype II ASFV strain. From a didactic point of view, this detailed clinical course and macroscopic description may be essential for early postmortem detection of outbreaks in wild boar in the field and contribute to disease surveillance and prevention efforts.
Highlights
African swine fever (ASF) is a viral disease of domestic and wild suids currently threatening the global porcine industry [1,2]
Since 2007, African swine fever virus (ASFV) has affected domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa); the latter are quite susceptible to disease, whereas other wild suids from Africa, such as warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) and bush pigs (Potamochoerus larvatus), often do not develop clinical signs after infection [5]
A dose of 10 HAD50 of Arm07 strain was enough for the development of a clinical picture compatible with ASF disease that ended in a lethal outcome in all the six intramuscularly (IM)
Summary
African swine fever (ASF) is a viral disease of domestic and wild suids currently threatening the global porcine industry [1,2]. The current spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV) began in Georgia in 2007, from which it entered additional Caucasian countries, including the Russian Federation. Between 2016 and 2019, eight more European countries notified the OIE of ASF infections: Moldova (2016), Romania (2017), Czech Republic (2017), Hungary (2018), Bulgaria (2018), Belgium (2018), Slovakia (2019), Serbia (2019) and Greece (2020) [3]. Since 2007, ASFV has affected domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa); the latter are quite susceptible to disease, whereas other wild suids from Africa, such as warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) and bush pigs (Potamochoerus larvatus), often do not develop clinical signs after infection [5]
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