Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal infectious disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boar. Outbreaks of ASF have grown considerably in the last decade causing important economic consequences for the swine industry. Its control is hampered by the lack of an effective treatment or vaccine. In Europe, the wild boar is a key wild reservoir for ASF. The results of the oral vaccination trial of wild boar with Lv17/WB/Rie1 are hope for this problem. However, this vaccine candidate has certain safety concerns, since it is a naturally attenuated vaccine. Therefore, the current study aims to evaluate the safety of this vaccine candidate in terms of overdose (high dose) and repeated doses (revaccination) in wild boar. Low-dose orally vaccinated animals developed only a slight transient fever after vaccination and revaccination. This was also the case for most of the high-dose vaccinated wild boar, except for one of them which succumbed after revaccination. Although this fatality was related to hierarchical fights between animals, we consider that further studies are required for clarification. Considering these new results and the current epidemiological situation of ASF in wild boar, this vaccine prototype is a promising tool for the control of the disease in these wild populations, although further studies are needed.
Highlights
African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most relevant infectious diseases to affect suids as regards both domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa)
Keeping in mind that it must be possible to administer this vaccine candidate orally in wild populations in which it is more difficult to control the exact dosage, the objective of the current study is to evaluate the safety of this vaccine prototype in terms of overdose and repeated doses in wild boar
The animal was treated in the pen in order to aid its recovery, but began to show signs of fever followed by lethargy and anorexia, until its euthanasia at 21 days post revaccination (39 dpv), with an ASF clinical score (CS) of 10
Summary
African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most relevant infectious diseases to affect suids as regards both domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). ASF has remained in Eastern Europe and has spread to more countries on this continent, affecting both domestic pigs and wild boar [5]. ASF has generally shown a remarkable capacity for transboundary and transcontinental spread, with a growing number of outbreaks of the disease on five different continents and in more than 50 countries [5].
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