The Effectiveness of Protection and Surveillance Zones in Detecting Further African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Domestic Pigs-Experience of the Baltic States.

In the event of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in pig farms, the European Union (EU) legislation requires the establishment of a restricted zone, consisting of a protection zone with a radius of at least 3 km and a surveillance zone with a radius of at least 10 km around the outbreak. The main purpose of the restricted zone is to stop the spread of the disease by detecting further outbreaks. We evaluated the effectiveness and necessity of the restricted zone in the Baltic States by looking at how many secondary outbreaks were detected inside and outside the protection and surveillance zones and by what means.

Evidence-Based African Swine Fever Policies: Do We Address Virus and Host Adequately?

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most threatening diseases for the pig farming sector worldwide. Prevention, control and eradication remain a challenge, especially in the absence of an effective vaccine or cure and despite the relatively low contagiousness of this pathogen in contrast to Classical Swine Fever or Foot and Mouth disease, for example. Usually lethal in pigs and wild boar, this viral transboundary animal disease has the potential to significantly disrupt global trade and threaten food security.

African Swine Fever Circulation among Free-Ranging Pigs in Sardinia: Data from the Eradication Program.

African swine fever virus (ASFV), the cause of a devastating disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, has been present in Sardinia since 1978. In the framework of the regional ASF eradication plan, 4484 illegal pigs were culled between December 2017 and February 2020. The highest disease prevalence was observed in the municipality with the highest free-ranging pig density, and culling actions drastically reduced ASFV circulation among these animals.

Mathematical Approach to Estimating the Main Epidemiological Parameters of African Swine Fever in Wild Boar.

African swine fever (ASF) severely threatens the swine industry worldwide, given its spread and the absence of an available licensed vaccine, and has caused severe economic losses. Its persistence in wild boar (WB), longer than in domestic pig farms, and the knowledge gaps in ASF epidemiology hinder ASF virus (ASFV) eradication. Even in areas where disease is effectively controlled and ASFV is no longer detected, declaring eradication is difficult as seropositive WBs may still be detected.

Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of ASF detection with or without the use of on-field tests in different scenarios, in Sardinia.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease of domestic pigs and wild boars (WBs). Without a vaccine, early antibody and antigen detection and rapid diagnosis are crucial for the effective prevention of the disease and the employment of control measures. In Sardinia, where 3 different suid populations coexisted closely for a long time, the disease persists since 1978.

Correction: Socio-economic factors as indicators for various animal diseases in Sardinia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Socio-economic factors as indicators for various animal diseases in Sardinia.

The need to consider the role of social factors in the efficacy of farm management and, consequently, in the onset and persistence of diseases typical to animal farms is increasingly being realized increasingly worldwide. Many risk analysis studies have been conducted to assess the role of various factors in the development of animal diseases; however, very few have accounted for the role of social factors. The aim of this work was to bridge this gap, with the main hypothesis that different socio-economic factors could be valid indicators for the occurrence of different animal diseases.

Surveillance and control of African Swine Fever in free-ranging pigs in Sardinia.

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable infectious disease, caused by the ASF virus (ASFV), which is a DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae, genus Asfivirus. This disease has gained importance in the last decade after its spread in several countries in Eastern and Central Europe, and more recently, in China. Despite the efforts made to eradicate it, ASF is still present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy) and has been since 1978.

Evaluation of biological and socio-economic factors related to persistence of African swine fever in Sardinia.

Despite the implementation of several eradication programmes, African swine fever (ASF), a viral disease in pigs caused by a DNA virus (ASFV), has been present in Sardinia (Italy) since 1978. Several studies have been carried out on the epidemiology of ASF in Sardinia, aimed at attaining a better understanding of the role of the risk factors related to ASFV persistence, but those studies did not address the social aspects involved. This work sought to bridge this gap, identifying the main social risk factors associated with ASF persistence.

Approaches and Perspectives for Development of African Swine Fever Virus Vaccines.

African swine fever (ASF) is a complex disease of swine, caused by a large DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae. The disease shows variable clinical signs, with high case fatality rates, up to 100%, in the acute forms. ASF is currently present in Africa and Europe where it circulates in different scenarios causing a high socio-economic impact.