Recombined African Swine Fever Virus Detected in China Raises New Concerns

(iStock)
(iStock)

A recombined African Swine Fever virus identified in China may prove to be more difficult to detect and less controllable through vaccination

   by Bruce Cochrane – Farmscape.ca

The Swine Health Information Center’s July eNewsletter discusses reports out of China outlining evidence of a recombination of African Swine Fever genotype 1 and genotype 2 viruses.

SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg says, when you get two viruses together, even two genotypes of the same virus, infecting their hosts there is an opportunity for genetic material to transfer from one to the other.

 
 
 “If the current vaccine prototype has some efficacy and safety against the genotype 2, but it’s not known to be just as safe, then that could give an opportunity for this new recombinant virus to continue to spread”
 

“One of the things that scientists have looked at is the cross protection of the different genotypes.

“If, for example, genotype 2 which is virulent and traveling around the world can be prevented by vaccination with a genotype 1, which is less virulent and more stable then perhaps there’s an opportunity to use that genotype 1 to dampen or even prevent genotype 2.

“What scientists have found out is that that doesn’t happen.

“There’s not cross protection between the genotypes so the issue of our vaccinations being effective against genotype 2 when there’s a recombination of 1 and 2 is still a major question.

“We don’t know that. It hasn’t been tested.

“If the current vaccine prototype has some efficacy and safety against the genotype 2, it’s not known yet, but if they’d be just as safe and just as effective against any recombination, that could give an opportunity for this new recombinant virus to continue to spread and continue to cause trouble.

Dr. Sundberg says this recombination could result in a virus that’s as transmissible as genotype 2 while being less virulent and more difficult to detect than would be genotype 2 by itself.

 
Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers
 
 

Posted in

Our October 2024 Issue

In our October 2024 issue we feature FCC partnering with Glengarry Farm Finance, USDA $35 million in meat grants, Port worker strikes, PEI cattle producers bucking herd decline, Chicken farmers supplying food banks, and government funding to improve Animal Health and Welfare, and much more!

 

Screen Shot 2020-08-19 at 11.51.13 PM

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.