Objectives: Since 2012, outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in domestic pigs have increased outside of South Africa's ASF control zone. This study describes the epidemiological investigation and findings of an ASF outbreak in a small-scale pig unit in Gauteng Province and makes recommendations to prevent future outbreaks.
Methods: PCR testing and molecular analysis were performed on pig tissue samples. Veterinary services conducted epidemiological investigations, forward and backward tracing, and surveillance. Farm management and biosecurity practices were assessed. Quarantine, culling, carcass disposal, and disinfection were implemented.
Results: ASF virus genotype I was detected. A concurrent ASF outbreak in neighbouring Mpumalanga Province was identified as a possible source. Inadequate biosecurity measures probably facilitated viral transmission. Potential mechanisms for the introduction of the ASF virus include swill feeding practices, free roaming of pigs, scavenging, illegal slaughter, and trade of pig products within the community.
Conclusions: Molecular typing of the ASF virus linked the outbreak to an ongoing ASF outbreak in Mpumalanga Province. Pig enterprises with poor biosecurity practices may face greater risk of ASF introduction. Small-scale pig keepers should be targeted for ASF awareness and education campaigns. Innovative and cost-effective biosecurity solutions are needed in this resource-poor setting.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.003 | DOI Listing |
Vet Res Forum
November 2024
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, India.
African swine fever (ASF) is considered as one of the most threatening diseases for the pig farming industry all over the world. Due to the lack of an effective vaccine, organized farms and backyard rearing must strictly enforce control measures in order to combat the disease. The present report describes the ASF epidemic in a piggery in Uttar Pradesh state, India.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Animal Pathogens and Biosafety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China. Electronic address:
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a complex DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae. The outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has caused huge economic losses to the pig farming industry. The K205R protein is a key target for detecting ASFV antibodies and represents an important antigen for early serologic diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut Institute of Epidemiology, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Germany in 2020. A few weeks after the initial occurrence, infected wild boar were detected in Saxony. In this study, data from wild boar surveillance in Saxony were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines (Basel)
December 2024
Federal Research Centre for Virology and Microbiology, Academician Bakoulov Street 1, 601125 Volginsky, Russia.
The spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV) has led to major economic losses to pork worldwide. In Russia, there are no developed or registered vaccines against ASFV genotype II, which is associated with numerous ASFV outbreaks in populations of domestic pigs and wild boars in the country. We introduced deletions of the six MGF360 and MGF505 genes of the ASFV virulent Stavropol_01/08 strain, isolated in Russia in 2008.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Vet Sci
December 2024
Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of the Philippines Los Baños 4031, Laguna, Philippines.
Importance: African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious transboundary swine disease that poses a significant threat to the swine industry. As an archipelago, the Philippines has a geographic advantage in reducing ASF transmission risk. However, control efforts remain challenging due to the disease's complex epidemiology, lack of effective treatment, and vaccine availability.
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