TY - JOUR

T1 - Experimental Infections of Pigs with African Swine Fever Virus (Genotype II); Studies in Young Animals and Pregnant Sows

AU - Lohse, Louise

AU - Nielsen, Jens

AU - Uttenthal, Åse

AU - Olesen, Ann Sofie

AU - Strandbygaard, Bertel

AU - Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun

AU - Belsham, Graham J.

AU - Bøtner, Anette

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - African swine fever is an important viral disease of wild and domestic pigs. To gain further knowledge of the properties of the currently circulating African swine fever virus (ASFV), experimental infections of young pigs (approximately 8 weeks of age) and pregnant sows (infected at about 100 days of gestation) with the genotype II ASFV Georgia/2007 were performed. The inoculated young pigs developed typical clinical signs of the disease and the infection was transmitted (usually within 3–4 days) to all of the “in contact” animals that shared the same pen. Furthermore, typical pathogical lesions for ASFV infection were found at necropsy. Inoculation of pregnant sows with the same virus also produced rapid onset of disease from post-infection day three; two of the three sows died suddenly on post-infection day five, while the third was euthanized on the same day for animal welfare reasons. Following necropsy, the presence of ASFV DNA was detected in tonsils, spleen and lymph nodes of some of the fetuses, but the levels of viral DNA were much lower than in these tissues from the sows. Thus, only limited transplacental transmission occurred during the course of this experiment. These studies contribute towards further understanding about the spread of this important viral disease in domestic pigs.

AB - African swine fever is an important viral disease of wild and domestic pigs. To gain further knowledge of the properties of the currently circulating African swine fever virus (ASFV), experimental infections of young pigs (approximately 8 weeks of age) and pregnant sows (infected at about 100 days of gestation) with the genotype II ASFV Georgia/2007 were performed. The inoculated young pigs developed typical clinical signs of the disease and the infection was transmitted (usually within 3–4 days) to all of the “in contact” animals that shared the same pen. Furthermore, typical pathogical lesions for ASFV infection were found at necropsy. Inoculation of pregnant sows with the same virus also produced rapid onset of disease from post-infection day three; two of the three sows died suddenly on post-infection day five, while the third was euthanized on the same day for animal welfare reasons. Following necropsy, the presence of ASFV DNA was detected in tonsils, spleen and lymph nodes of some of the fetuses, but the levels of viral DNA were much lower than in these tissues from the sows. Thus, only limited transplacental transmission occurred during the course of this experiment. These studies contribute towards further understanding about the spread of this important viral disease in domestic pigs.

KW - African swine fever

KW - domestic pigs

KW - experimental infection

KW - virus transmission

U2 - 10.3390/v14071387

DO - 10.3390/v14071387

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35891368

AN - SCOPUS:85133290481

VL - 14

JO - Viruses

JF - Viruses

SN - 1999-4915

IS - 7

M1 - 1387

ER -