First Case Of African Swine Fever Research Articles

African Swine Fever Outbreak in an Enclosed Wild Boar Hunting Ground in Serbia.

African swine fever (ASF) has been detected in many European countries since its introduction in Georgia in 2007. Serbia suffered its first case of ASF in the domestic pig population in 2019. At the beginning of 2020, ASF was detected in wild boars in open hunting grounds in the southeastern region of the country in districts along the country's borders with Romania and Bulgaria. Since then, all ASF outbreaks in wild boar were clustered in the population located in the same bordering areas. Despite the newly implemented biosecurity protocols for hunters in 2019, ASF was detected for the first time in June 2021 in the wild boar population located in an enclosed hunting ground in the northeast region of the country. In this study, we reported the first ASF outbreak in a wild boar population located in an enclosed hunting ground in close proximity to the Serbian-Romanian border. The epizootiological data on the field investigation of the ASF outbreak, with descriptions of the clinical signs and gross pathological lesions detected, including the total number as well as the estimated age, sex, and postmortem interval, were analyzed. Clinical signs were detected only in nine diseased wild boars, while in total, 149 carcasses were found in the open and enclosed part of the hunting ground. In addition, 99 carcasses from which samples (parts of spleen or long bones) were collected for molecular diagnostics (RT-PCR) were confirmed as ASF-positive. The results of the epidemiological investigations indicate the central role of wild boar movements as well as the constant risk of human-related activities in the countries bordering area.

Proteins in pregnant swine serum promote the African swine fever virus replication: an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis

African swine fever (ASF) is a severe infectious disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), seriously endangering the global pig industry. ASFV possesses a large genome, strong mutation ability, and complex immune escape mechanisms. Since the first case of ASF was reported in China in August 2018, it has had a significant impact on social economy and food safety. In the present study, pregnant swine serum (PSS) was found to promote viral replication; differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in PSS were screened and identified using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation technology and compared with those in non-pregnant swine serum (NPSS). The DEPs were analyzed using Gene Ontology functional annotation, Kyoto Protocol Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway enrichment, and protein–protein interaction networks. In addition, the DEPs were validated via western blot and RT-qPCR experiments. And the 342 of DEPs were identified in bone marrow-derived macrophages cultured with PSS compared with the NPSS. The 256 were upregulated and 86 of DEPs were downregulated. The primary biological functions of these DEPs involved signaling pathways that regulate cellular immune responses, growth cycles, and metabolism-related pathways. An overexpression experiment showed that the PCNA could promote ASFV replication whereas MASP1 and BST2 could inhibit it. These results further indicated that some protein molecules in PSS were involved in the regulation of ASFV replication. In the present study, the role of PSS in ASFV replication was analyzed using proteomics, and the study will be provided a basis for future detailed research on the pathogenic mechanism and host interactions of ASFV as well as new insights for the development of small-molecule compounds to inhibit ASFV.

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER: A BIOSECURITY CHALLENGE FOR DOMESTIC PIG PRODUCTION IN SERBIA

African swine fever (ASF) is currently the most important challenge for domestic pig production worldwide. The virus reached Eurasia in 2007, and is today affecting more than half of European Union member countries. Among Western Balkan countries, Serbia suffered the first case of ASF in a backyard holding in 2019. Since then, numerous outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar have been reported throughout the country despite the efforts of the veterinary authorities to control the disease. The lack of an effective vaccine is one of the main constraints, and the only currently available option to prevent further ASF infections is the application of strict biosecurity measures. Regarding biosecurity, backyard pig producers and smallholding farmers in Serbia have substantial gaps in the knowledge and fail to comply with safe production behaviour that favours the spread of ASF virus. In the currently prevailing smallholder and backyards farming systems, farm biosecurity is largely non-existent. The aim of this review was to identify specific ASF-risks factors in the current pig production system and gaps in biosecurity measures related to the human activities recognised as social and cultural identity in Serbia. Moreover, the main risk factors for ASF spreading and transmission at the domestic/wild boar interface, biosecurity practices in different production systems, and possible future control measures and awareness campaigns are discussed.

A perspective on the first and subsequent outbreaks (2020-2022) of African swine fever in India and its impact on agriculture and environment

The first report of African Swine Fever (ASF) was confirmed in India in April 2020, making it the second cross-border disease in India after SARS-CoV-2 induced COVID-19. The northeastern states of India – Assam and Arunachal Pradesh confirmed the first case of ASF in the last week of April 2020. Subsequently, almost all northeastern states of India reported ASF outbreaks successively by April 2021. The ASF outbreaks in 2022 were reported from northern, eastern and southern parts of India which include Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Such outbreaks not only severely threaten economy and livelihood of people involved in pig farming, but also have severe environmental consequences ranging from contamination of natural water bodies to the extinction of threatened species. In this COVID-19 pandemic, concerns arising due to ASF on the farming economy and environment, in the Indian context, have largely remained ignored. This paper attempts to address agricultural and environmental issues, and further risks, developing due to the first and subsequent outbreaks of ASF in India.

Eight years of African swine fever in Poland

African swine fever (ASF) was detected in Poland on February 17, 2014. Epidemiological studies from other European countries and the results of epidemiological investigations in different regions of Poland in which the disease was detected indicate that the African swine fever virus (ASFV) must have been present in Poland for at least a few months before the first ASF outbreak was detected. The ASFV virus was introduced into the territory of the Republic of Poland from the Republic of Belarus. During the 8 years of the ASF epizootic in Poland, multidisciplinary measures were taken to eradicate the disease from the wild boar population and limit the possibility of virus transmission from the wild boar habitat to pig farms. Despite the various attempts to stop the expansion of ASF, we have not been successful in eradicating the disease in Poland. By the end of March, 2022, a total of 14016 ASF outbreaks were found in the wild boar population and 488 in the pig population. Throughout the 8-year ASF epidemic in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the course of the disease in the wild boar population, and consequently in pigs, differed significantly from that observed in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s in Portugal and Spain. First of all, according to predictions by experts from countries previously affected by ASF, the emergence of the disease in the wild boar population in Eastern Europe was supposed to result in the disease becoming spontaneously extinct in the wild boar population because of its mortality rate amounting to almost 100% and the high virulence of ASFV. However, these predictions have not materialized. The possible development of the epizootic situation in Eastern Europe was similarly underestimated. Experts expected a course of ASF similar to that of classical swine fever (CSF) in the wild boar population in Europe in the 1990s and at the beginning of the 21st century. Unfortunately, observations made so far in Poland, the Baltic countries, and southern Europe show that most assumptions regarding the dynamics of ASF spread were inaccurate. Actions aimed at limiting the circulation and spread of ASFV in the wild boar population in Poland proved to be insufficient. The regulations, and above all their implementation and enforcement, were ineffective. Consequently, during the period analyzed (February 2014 – end of March 2022), the disease spread to 11 out of 16 voivodeships in the case of pigs and to 11 voivodeships, though not exactly the same, in the case of wild boar. In principle, the number of ASF outbreaks in the pig and wild boar populations increased year by year. It can be concluded that since the appearance of the first case of ASF the chances of eradicating the disease in Poland have been continuously diminishing. It seems that the situation may improve only if there is a fundamental change in the approach to controlling ASF. This should include radical measures against producers who do not comply with the established principles of biosecurity and a significant change in the strategy of controlling ASF in the wild boar population with a more active involvement on the part of hunters, foresters, veterinary inspectors, police, and farmers themselves.

Joining the club: First detection of African swine fever in wild boar in Germany.

African swine fever (ASF) has spread across many countries in Europe since the introduction into Georgia in 2007. We report here on the first cases of ASF in wild boar detected in Germany close to the border with Poland. In addition to the constant risk of ASF virus (ASFV) spread through human activities, movements of infected wild boar also represent a route of introduction. Since ASF emerged in Western Poland in November 2019, surveillance efforts, in particular examination of wild boar found dead, were intensified in the regions of Germany bordering with Poland. The first case of ASF in wild boar in Germany was therefore detected by passive surveillance and confirmed on 10 September 2020. By 24 September 2020, 32 cases were recorded. Testing of samples from tissues of carcasses in different stages of decomposition yielded cycle threshold values from 18 to 36 in the OIE-recommended PCR, which were comparable between the regional and national reference laboratory. Blood swabs yielded reliable results, indicating that the method is suitable also under outbreak conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of the ASFV whole-genome sequence generated from material of the first carcass detected in Germany, revealed that it groups with ASFV genotype II including all sequences from Eastern Europe, Asia and Belgium. However, some genetic markers including a 14bp tandem repeat duplication in the O174L gene were confirmed that have so far been detected only in sequences from Poland (including Western Poland). Epidemiological investigations that include estimated postmortem intervals of wild boar carcasses of infected animals suggest that ASFV had been introduced into Germany in the first half of July 2020 or even earlier.

African Swine Fever Virus, Siberia, Russia, 2017.

African swine fever (ASF) is arguably the most dangerous and emerging swine disease worldwide. ASF is a serious problem for the swine industry. The first case of ASF in Russia was reported in 2007. We report an outbreak of ASF in Siberia, Russia, in 2017.