African Swine Fever

What transmits African swine fever?

Ornithodoros soft ticks

What are the two main forms of African swine fever?

Acute and chronic

What are characteristics of acute African swine fever?

High fever, reddened skin, and extensive hemorrhages ot lymphoid organs

High morbidity and high mortality

What are some of the main signs of African swine fever?

Hemorrhage

Acute death

CNS signs

Respiratory and GI signs

What is the morphology of African swine fever?

Enveloped, double-stranded DNA

Icosahedral with a linear genome

What family is African swine fever in?

Asfarviridae

What is one reason vaccine development for African swine fever can be difficult?

It has 151 open reading frames that allow evasion of host defenses and modulate host cell function

What is the only arthropod-vectored DNA virus?

African swine fever virus

African swine fever is the only known DNA what?

DNA arbovirus (transmitted by ticks)

What can African swine fever survive in, in the environment?

Oral/nasal secretions

Blood (up to 15 weeks)

Raw or dry meat (3 months/1 year)

Carcasses

Offal

Urine (15 days)

Feces (8 days)

Food

Insects

Soil

Fomites

In the environment, African swine fever is extremely what?

Extremely resistant. It can survive for a very long time outside of a host

What is a source of infection for African swine fever when it is fed to pigs?

Airline waste

What is the main way to eradicate African swine fever when it enters a population?

Stamping out method

Has African swine fever even been documented in the U.S.?

No, making it a reportable disease

What are the natural hosts of African swine fever?

Warthogs

Bushpigs

Soft ticks

Where is African swine fever enzootic?

Africa and Sardinia

Where has African swine fever spread since 2018?

China and several other asian countries

East Europe

How is African swine fever transmitted?

Direct/indirect contact with oronasal secretions

Bite of an infected soft tick

Ingestion of uncooked pork in food waste

Ingestion of contaminated feed

How long is African swine fever shed?

Up to 1 month

What is African swine fever shed in?

Respiratory secretions and blood

What is African swine fever characterized by?

High fever

Decreased appetite and weakness

Red, blotchy skin or skin lesions

Diarrhea and vomiting

Coughing and difficulty breathing

What is the primary infection route of African swine fever?

Oral or upper respiratory tract

What is the cellular pathogenesis of African swine fever?

Severe disruption of blood clotting mechanism

Destruction of macrophages

Thrombocytopenia

Lymphopenia

What is the incubation period of African swine fever?

4-19 days

Where does African swine fever predominantly replicate?

In monocytes and macrophages

Where are high concentrations of African swine fever found in the body?

Spleen

What tests are used to detect African swine fever?

Virus isolation

PCR

What samples are used for African swine fever diagnostics?

Whole blood

Spleen

Tonsils

Lymph nodes

What serology tests are used to diagnose African swine fever?

ELISA and IFA

What is African swine fever clinically indistinguishable from?

Classical swine fever

What vaccine is available for African swine fever?

NO vaccine available

What are the treatment options for African swine fever?

NO treatments

How can African swine fever be controlled?

Control of animal imports

Decontamination and disposal of foreign garbage

Cooking of food scraps for feeding pigs

Tick vector controls

What is African swine fever eradication dependent on?

Diagnosis, slaughter, and disposal of infected animals

Disinfection

What are the biggest indicators of African swine fever?

High fever

Skin hyperemia or cyanosis

Depression

What clinical signs are associated with the less acute form of African swine fever?

Respiratory signs (coughing, dyspnea)

Gastrointestinal signs (diarrhea)

What clinical signs are associated with chronic African swine fever?

Emaciation

Swollen joints

Respiratory disease

What are the forms of African swine fever?

Peracute, acute, subacute, chronic, and subclinical

What is the range of mortality for African swine fever?

0-100% depending on strain virulence

How does African swine fever affect the immune system?

Destroys macrophages allowing evasion of host defenses

Modulates host cell function