AFRICAN SWINE FEVER

Overview
 Organism
 Economic Impact
 Epidemiology
 Transmission
 Clinical Signs
 Diagnosis and Treatment
 Prevention and Control
 Actions to Take
The Organism
 African Swine Fever Virus
 Highly contagious
viral disease of swine
 Asfarviridae
– Enveloped DNA virus
– Only DNA virus
transmitted by arthropods
 Isolates vary in virulence
– High virulence: 100% mortality
– Low virulence: seroconversion
 African Swine Fever Virus
 Highly resistant
– At least 30 days in pens
warthog
– > 140 days in some
pork products
 Killed by high temps
and some disinfectants
bush pig

 Affects domestic and

wild pigs
collared peccary
Importance
 History
 1900’s: Domestic pigs in Kenya
 1957, 1960s
– Spread to Europe
– Successful eradication by 1990s
 1963: Found in soft ticks
 1971: 1st time in Western Hemisphere
 Late 1970’s
– Outbreaks in South America and Caribbean
– Successful eradication through depopulation
 2007: Outbreak in country of Georgia
 Economic Impact
 Animal Health
– High mortality
– Highly contagious
 Import and export bans
 Movement restrictions
 Quarantine and Depopulation
– Required for eradication
 Can become prolonged epidemic
Epidemiology
 Geographic Distribution
 Endemic in southern Africa
 Outbreaks have occurred in Europe,
South America, and the Caribbean
 Eradicated from the Western
Hemisphere and Europe
– Except for feral pigs on
the Island of Sardinia (Italy)
 2007- Multiple outbreaks in
the country of Georgia
 Morbidity/Mortality
 Morbidity approaches 100%
– Previously unexposed herds
– Herds in contact with each other
 Mortality varies with virulence
of isolate
– Ranges from 0%-100%
 No treatment or vaccine
Transmission
 Animal Transmission
 Direct contact
– Infected animals
(usually oronasal)
 Indirect
– Feeding of uncooked garbage
– Fomites
 Contaminated clothing or
footwear, equipment, vehicles, feed
– Bite of infected ticks
– Mechanically by biting flies
 Found in all tissues and body fluids
 Animals and
African Swine Fever
 Clinical Signs:
High Virulence
 Incubation period: 5-19 days
 High fever
 Moderate anorexia
 Erythema, cyanosis
 Recumbency
 Bloody diarrhea
 Frequent abortions
 Death
 Clinical Signs:
Chronic Disease
 Multi-focal erythema
– Ears, abdomen, inner thigh
– May be raised and necrotic
 Low fever
 Pneumonia
 Painless swelling of carpal and tarsal joints
 Emaciation, stunting
 Death
 Post Mortem Lesions:
Most Common
 Spleen
– Enlarged
– Friable
– Dark red, black

 Lymph nodes
– Swollen
– Hemorrhagic
 Post Mortem Lesions:
Chronic Infection
 Focal skin necrosis
 Fibrinous pericarditis
 Generalized
lymphadenopathy
 Swollen joints
 Consolidated lobules in
lung
 Post Mortem Lesions:
Less Common
 Hemorrhages
– Petechiae
– Ecchymoses

 Edema
– Lungs and gall
bladder
 Differential Diagnosis
 Acute PRRS  Eperythrozoonosis
 Porcine dermatitis and  Actinobacillosis
nephropathy syndrome  Glasser’s Disease
 Erysipelas  Pasteurellosis
 Salmonellosis  Thrombocytopenic
 Aujeszky’s disease purpura
(pseudorabies)  Warfarin poisoning
 Classical swine fever  Heavy metal toxicity
(hog cholera)
 Sampling
 Before collecting or sending any samples,
the proper authorities should be contacted

 Samples should only be sent under secure

conditions and to authorized laboratories
to prevent the spread of the disease
 Diagnosis
 Suspect ASF in pigs with:
– Fever
– Characteristic post mortem
signs in spleen, lymph nodes
 Laboratory Tests
– Virus isolation
– Viral antibody detection
– PCR
 There is no treatment
African Swine Fever
in Humans
• Humans are not susceptible.
Prevention and Control
 Recommended Actions
 Notification of state or federal authorities
IMMEDIATELY
– Federal: Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC)
– State veterinarian
 Quarantine
 Quarantine
 Suspicion of ASF
– Entire herd quarantined
 Strict enforcement
 Authorities notified
 Diagnosis confirmed
 Disposal of carcasses
– Burial
– Burning
 Disinfection
 Most disinfectants ineffective
 Use an ASFV-approved disinfectant
– Sodium hypochlorite
– Some iodine and quaternary ammonium
compounds
 Prevention
 Garbage fed to pigs must be cooked
– Unprocessed meat must be heated
 Potential tick vectors
– Controlled with acaricides
 Isolation of infected animals
 Eradication
– Slaughter of infected and in-contact animals
 Virus killed by heat
 Vaccination
 No vaccine
– All attempts unsuccessful
 We all need to
do our part
– Keep our pigs healthy
– Free of foreign animal diseases