Co-circulation of two genetically distinct viruses in an outbreak of African swine fever in Mozambique: no evidence for individual co-infection

In 1998, domestic pigs originating from villages within a 40 km radius of Ulongwe in the northern Tete Province of Mozambique were held in a quarantine facility for a 3-month period prior to their importation into South Africa. Eight of a total of 25 pigs died within the first 3 weeks of quarantine of what appeared clinically and on post mortem examination to be African swine fever (ASF). Organs were collected and preserved in formol-glycerosaline and the presence of ASF virus in these specimens was confirmed by three independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Two gene regions were characterised, namely the C-terminus end of the major immunodominant protein VP72 and the central variable region (CVR) of the 9RL open reading frame (ORF). Results confirmed the presence of two genetically distinct viruses circulating simultaneously within a single outbreak focus. However, despite the pigs being housed within the same facility, no evidence of co-infection was observed within individual animals. Comparison of the two 1998 virus variants with viruses causing historical outbreaks of the disease in Mozambique revealed that these viruses belong to two distinct genotypes which are unrelated to viruses causing outbreaks between 1960 and 1994. In addition, the CVR and p72 gene regions of one of the 1998 Mozambique virus variants (variant-40) was shown to be identical to the virus recovered from an ASF outbreak in Madagascar in the same year, whilst the other (variant-92) was identical to a 1988 pig isolate from Zambia.     

Review of African swine fever outbreaks history in South Africa: From 1926 to 2018

The article reviews the outbreaks and distribution of African swine fever (ASF) in South Africa since the first probable outbreak that occurred in the Koedoesrand Ward in 1926. Retrospective data on the ASF outbreaks in South Africa were obtained from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) disease database and the South African veterinary services annual reports in addition to published articles and online sources. South Africa has experienced many outbreaks that can be divided into 2 time periods: the period before the development of the OIE diseases database (1993) and the period after. More than 141 outbreaks of ASF were reported during the first period. Since the development of OIE disease database, 72 outbreaks directly involving 2968 cases, 2187 dead and 2358 killed pigs mainly in smallholder pig farms were reported. The median number of cases for a given ASF outbreak is 17, but in 50% of outbreaks no pigs were killed for prevention. The most important ASF outbreak was reported in April 2014 in the Greater Zeerust district (North West province) involving 326 cases and 1462 killed pigs. However, the outbreak with highest mortality involving 250 pigs was reported in 2016 (Free State province). According to phylogenetic analysis, nine p72 genotypes (I, III, IV, VII, VIII, XIX, XX, XXI and XXII) have been identified in South Africa. Season-wise, more outbreaks were recorded during summer. It was also observed that the OIE disease database could contain errors that would have been introduced through compiled forms at country level. Spatiotemporal studies on ASF outbreaks in South Africa are therefore required in order to assess statistically and quantitatively the clustering of outbreaks over space and time.     

Genetic characterisation of African swine fever viruses from outbreaks in southern Africa (1973-1999)

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal and economically significant disease of domestic pigs in the southern African sub-region, where outbreaks regularly occur. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that trans-boundary movement of infected animals may have played a role in precipitating widespread outbreaks in the past, however, since the 1970s outbreaks have generally been more localised, particularly in those countries where control of animal movement is strictly regulated. The origin and relatedness of regional ASF outbreaks was investigated here by means of a two-step genetic characterisation approach whereby p72 gene sequencing was used to delineate genotypes, prior to intra-genotypic resolution of viral relationships by central variable region (CVR) characterisation of the 9RL ORF. In this manner, regional virus heterogeneity and epidemiological links between outbreaks could be assessed for the first time through phylogenetic analysis of the C-terminal end of the p72 gene of viruses recovered from domestic pig outbreaks in southern Africa between 1973 and 1999. The phylogeny revealed the presence of 14 distinct p72 genotypes of which 6 (genotypes XVII-XXII) were considered novel. Eight of these were country-specific with the remaining six having a trans-boundary distribution. CVR products were heterogeneous in size ranging from 377bp to 533bp across the 14 southern African genotypes. Within-genotype CVR comparisons revealed the presence of a genotype XIX virus with an extended field presence in South Africa (1985-1996) and permitted discrimination between three genotype VII viruses that were identical across the p72 gene.     

非洲猪瘟对我国养猪业的影响与防控建议

非洲猪瘟是由非洲猪瘟病毒引起的一种高度接触传染性、广泛出血性猪病毒病,死亡率可高达100%,无商品化疫苗可用于其预防。自8月初我国爆发首例非洲猪瘟疫情以来,截至11月5日,短短三个月时间里,已有14个省累计爆发58起疫情,扑杀生猪近50万头,直接经济损失数十亿元,给我国养猪业造成了巨大冲击。面对前所未有的非洲猪瘟疫情,我国政府的应对是果断有力的,但也面临种种挑战。本文对我国非洲猪瘟疫情形势及其对相关行业的影响进行了分析,总结了非洲猪瘟防控的重点和难点,并针对目前的形势,提出了遏制非洲猪瘟疫情进一步蔓延的建议和对策。     

Temporal and spatial patterns of African swine fever in Sardinia

Temporal patterns and spatial distribution of African swine fever (ASF) were studied through the analysis of routinely collected data in the ASF-endemic area of the Province of Nuoro, Sardinia. During 1993–1996, ASF outbreaks were reported from 45 out of the 82 municipalities of the study area. Overall farm-level incidence rate (IR) was 1.3 outbreaks per 100 farms-year. ASF peaked in 1995 (IR=1.8) and declined in 1996 (IR=0.82). Significant (P<0.05) spring peaks of ASF outbreaks and affected municipalities were detected using statistical methods for circular distributions. Spatial clustering of ASF-affected municipalities, as evaluated by join-count statistics, was significant in 1993 (Z_jc=−3.0, P<0.01) and 1994 (Z_jc=−3.2, P<0.01) but not in 1995 (Z_jc=−0.6, P=0.55) and 1996 (Z_jc=−1.2, P=0.23). Extensive pig farming and ASF were spatially co-distributed (κ=0.51, 95% CI=0.33–0.70).     

Research Progress on Molecular Etiology and Pathogenesis for African Swine Fever Virus

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV), characterized by acute feature, high fever, high mortality and other characteristics. ASF mainly outbreaks in African, Eastern Europe countries, Russia and Caucasus region. At present, there are no vaccine available and effective control strategies against ASFV spread, therefore, ASF has a serious impact on the pig industry in the affected countries. The major target cells of the virus are swine reticuloendothelial cells and monocyte-macrophage cells. ASFV can result in apoptosis and affect the host's immune system, and then show the characteristics of the corresponding disease. ASFV has the characteristics of large genome, more genotype and more variability. In this paper, the molecular etiology and pathogenesis of ASFV are reviewed, so as to provide theoretical basis for prevention and control of ASF.     

非洲猪瘟病毒的分子病原学及致病机理研究进展

非洲猪瘟（African swine fever,ASF）是由非洲猪瘟病毒（African swine fever virus,ASFV）引起的一种烈性传染病,具有急性、高热、高病死率等特征,主要暴发于非洲、东欧国家、俄罗斯及高加索地区。目前,该病缺乏有效的疫苗和治疗方法,给病情爆发地区的养猪业造成严重的影响。ASFV的主要靶细胞是网状内皮细胞和单核-巨噬细胞,造成细胞凋亡,影响宿主的免疫系统,进而表现出相应的疫病特征。ASFV具有基因组较大、基因型较多且易变异等特征。文章主要从分子病原学和致病机理方面对ASFV的研究情况进行综述,为ASF的防控提供理论依据。     

Control measures to African swine fever outbreak: active response in South Korea,preparation for the future,and cooperation

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most complex infectious swine diseases and the greatest concern to the pig industry owing to its high mortality and no effective vaccines available to prevent the disease. Since the first outbreak of ASF in pig farms, ASF has been identified in 14 pig farms in four cities/counties in South Korea. The outbreak was resolved in a short period because of the immediate control measures and cooperative efforts. This paper reviews the ASF outbreak and the experience of successfully stopping ASF in pig farms in South Korea through active responses to prevent the spread of ASF. In addition, suitable changes to build a sustainable pig production system and collaborative efforts to overcome the dangerous animal disease, such as ASF, are discussed.     

猪场生物安全系统要点

建立生物安全体系是猪场防控疾病的前提,也是最经济有效的疫病防治措施。2018年我国发生非洲猪瘟以来,疫情对我国生猪养殖业带来深刻影响,在未来很长一段时间内该病都将是我国猪场的常态化疾病。非洲猪瘟疫情发生后,我国养猪业创新性地提出了系列生物安全防控技术,建立了能够有效应对疫情常态威胁的生物安全技术体系,两年多来的防控实践证明了这些生物安全防控手段的有效性。文章总结了猪场生物安全体系建设和管理中的关键环节及注意事项,希望可以为猪场非洲猪瘟防控提供参考。     

非洲猪瘟病毒免疫逃逸分子机制研究进展

非洲猪瘟(African swine fever，ASF)是由非洲猪瘟病毒(African swine fever virus，ASFV)感染猪引起的一种急性、烈性、高度接触性传染病，至今没有研发出安全有效的疫苗，一旦暴发会造成重大经济损失。ASFV在和宿主长期作用过程中，通过抑制干扰素和炎症反应，调节凋亡、自噬及细胞免疫等多种途径逃逸机体免疫反应促进自身复制，但具体的机制仍不完全清楚。ASFV复杂的免疫逃逸机制可能是阻碍有效疫苗研发的关键因素之一。借助生物信息学技术对ASFV的基因组和蛋白质组深入分析，筛选病毒的免疫调控关键基因和保护性抗原表位，将在ASFV免疫逃逸分子机制的研究与疫苗研发中发挥重要作用。本文主要对ASFV感染引起的免疫应答反应及可能的免疫逃逸机制研究进行概述，以期为ASF疫苗研制及综合防控提供思路。     

Contribution of market value chain to the control of African swine fever in Zambia

Tropical Animal Health and Production - African swine fever (ASF) is a worldwide disease of pigs endemic in most sub-Saharan African countries. Zambia has been experiencing outbreaks of ASF for...     

Surveillance of ASF-infected pig farms from September to October 2019 in South Korea

Fourteen African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks occurred in the pig farms in the northwestern region of South Korea, near the border with North Korea, from September 16, 2019 to October 9, 2019. Active and passive surveillance on the ASF-infected farms indicated that the infection was limited only to pigsties where the infected pigs were detected on the farm for the first time before further transmission to other pigsties and farms. This early detection could be one of the pivotal factors for the prompt eradication of ASF in domestic pig farms within 1 month in the northwestern region of South Korea.     

非洲猪瘟病毒与宿主细胞相互作用研究进展

非洲猪瘟(ASF)自2018年8月在我国暴发,对养猪业构成巨大威胁.该病是由非洲猪瘟病毒(ASFV)引起的家养猪高热、急性和高死亡率的出血症和淋巴组织坏死症;认识和了解病原ASFV与宿主的相互作用是理解致病机制的基础和疫病防控的前提.本文对ASFV与宿主细胞受体和内体系统的互作、基因转录和蛋白合成系统的互作、细胞凋亡和内质网应激系统的互作、天然免疫干扰素应答系统的互作、抗原递呈细胞的互作五个方面现有研究进展进行综述;并试图在此基础上理解ASFV的免疫保护和免疫逃逸作用,思考ASFV与宿主互作中需要回答的问题,为研制保护性疫苗和深入认识ASF致病机制提供线索.     

非洲猪瘟疫苗研究进展

非洲猪瘟（African swine fever,ASF）是由非洲猪瘟病毒（African swine fever virus,ASFV）引起的家猪和野猪的急性、出血性传染病,强毒株感染猪的致死率接近100%,给养猪业造成巨大经济损失。ASFV在猪群中可以快速有效传播,在环境中可稳定存在,为ASF的防控带来了挑战。研究人员一直致力于ASF疫苗的研究,迄今为止,仍没有有效的疫苗投入市场。综述了ASF灭活疫苗、减毒活疫苗、亚单位疫苗、DNA疫苗、病毒活载体疫苗的研究情况,以期为ASF疫苗的有效研发提供参考。     

非洲猪瘟疫苗研究的困境和展望

非洲猪瘟（ASF）目前是生猪产业最重要的猪病。因为非洲猪瘟病毒（ASFV）本身的复杂性,以及和宿主相互作用的复杂性导致ASF已经被报道一百年了,还没有商业化疫苗。理想的ASF疫苗不仅要有好的免疫保护性,更重要的是其安全性,同时如果能区分野毒感染和疫苗接种,能在适合的高质量GMP车间进行稳定低价的生产,能用于不同物种就更好了。ASF灭活疫苗研制这条道路似乎不通;亚单位疫苗、DNA疫苗、病毒活载体疫苗的免疫保护能力不足;主要包含自然缺失、传代致弱、基因工程缺失的减毒活疫苗在免疫保护方面体现了非常大的优势,但是其潜在的持续感染风险,会造成猪只的副作用,包括皮肤溃烂、关节炎,导致神经系统、呼吸系统的损伤等问题非常值得警惕。复制缺陷单周期病毒能有效地解决减毒活疫苗的安全性问题,似乎是一个值得尝试的ASF疫苗研制方向,尽管存在难以确定缺失复制相关的基因,以及难以构建能高效表达缺失基因编码蛋白,且能让单周期病毒稳定大量生产的辅助细胞系。我国针对ASFV强毒的精准剔除策略,未注册非法弱毒苗造成临床严重损失,以及一些不使用疫苗但成功从国家层面净化ASF的案例,让我们认识到针对ASF基础研究的重要性。同时至少目前阶段,ASF的防控不一定要借助疫苗,更多的要做好生物安全管控和区域ASF净化。尽管ASF疫苗研制困难重重,但针对ASF理想型疫苗的研制也应该持续进行下去,未来可能作为ASF防控的一个突破点。     

饲料营养免疫对非洲猪瘟防控的作用

非洲猪瘟疫情的暴发对我国养猪产业造成了严重影响。尽管农业部门、科研专家和养猪工作者通过提高生物安全手段防控非洲猪瘟,对恢复我国生猪养殖数量和猪肉自给能力取得了相应效果,但随之而来的是猪群应激增加、饲料营养的有效性降低和猪群抗病力降低等问题。文章结合非洲猪瘟病毒特点和防控现状等,从饲料营养免疫的视角,分析如何减少猪群应激和提升猪群免疫力,以期为非洲猪瘟的综合防控提供思路。     

非洲猪瘟病原学及单克隆抗体制备技术研究进展

非洲猪瘟是由非洲猪瘟病毒引起猪的高度接触性、传染性、出血性以及高死亡率的传染病。20世纪中期以来,已在非洲、欧洲和美洲等数十个国家流行,并在近几年内蔓延至欧亚两洲接壤处的格鲁吉亚、亚美尼亚、阿塞拜疆以及俄罗斯境内,其一旦侵入我国,将会给我国养猪业带来极大的危害。非洲猪瘟病原学研究以及制备相应的单克隆抗体对非洲猪瘟病毒快速诊断技术研究和疫苗研制有着重大的现实意义。主要从病原学和单克隆抗体制备方面对非洲猪瘟的研究进展进行了综述。     

非洲猪瘟的诊断与防控措施

非洲猪瘟是养猪业的第一杀手,自1921年东非国家肯尼亚首先出现非洲猪瘟疫情以来,这个病毒已经在非洲亚洲欧洲等区域传播了近百年,对世界养猪业造成了无可估量的损失。我国于2018年8月在辽宁省沈阳市首次发生非洲猪瘟疫情,并在极短的时间内传遍全国,对我国养猪行业的发展产生了巨大的影响,养猪业在近2年时间里发生了极大的变化。文章采用TaqMan探针实时荧光PCR技术,阐述一种快速、准确的非洲猪瘟病毒检测方法,并结合非洲猪瘟传播感染途径的特点,制定科学的诊断程序与防控措施来保证养猪业的生产安全。     

批次化生产在猪场疫病净化中的重要作用

随着中国养猪业规模化、集约化发展步伐的加快,养猪生产正在从劳动密集型的连续生产方式过渡到智能化、批次化养猪的管理新模式,与之相伴而来的是猪新旧疫病的不断发生,其仍然是养猪生产面临的重大挑战,尤其是近两年非洲猪瘟防控形势非常严峻,猪场在疾病防控、生物安全方面遇到了新挑战。批次化生产模式可以使传统连续饲养方式造成的疫病传播得到阻断,在养猪生产中具有重要的实践意义。文章综述了批次化生产的概念、批次化生产在猪场疫病净化中的重要作用。     

非洲猪瘟形势下我国养猪业该何去何从

非洲猪瘟是由非洲猪瘟病毒感染家猪或野猪后引发的一种恶性传染病,该疫病在中国的暴发给整个养猪业造成了毁灭性的打击。然而,目前虽有报道称已经有科研单位研制出非洲猪瘟疫苗,但距离其实际应用于生产仍需要相当长的时间。中国是全球最大的猪肉生产和消费国,非洲猪瘟疫情在我国的快速传播使我国生猪产能遭受重创,直接导致猪肉供求失衡、猪肉价格翻番、猪肉市场异动。因此,文章从非洲猪瘟的传播方式、对非洲猪瘟相对有效的防控措施等方面探讨在非洲猪瘟形势下我国养猪业该如何维持产能、如何走好养殖之路。