July 5, 2023

Scientists stumble upon new ASF strain circulating in three counties in China

Chinese scientists said they've identified what appears to be a new strain of the African swine fever (ASF) virus working its way through three counties in China.

A paper published in the journal Nature Communications said the new virus appears to be a hybrid of the new genotype 2 strain that caused the 2018 outbreak of ASF that began in the country and a more recent but less deadly strain identified in 2021.

Chris Netherton, head of ASF Vaccinology at the Pirbright Institute, said that the new variant is called genotype 1 for its apparent similarities to older versions of the virus. It causes chronic disease in pigs, but it's not as deadly as genotype 2, which can kill over 80% of the hogs it infects.

- NAFB News Service