August 21, 2020

 

African swine fever vaccine developed in China enters expanded trials

 

An African swine fever (ASF) vaccine developed in China will move onto expanded clinical and production trials after initial tests were positive, China Global Times reported.

 

The vaccine was developed at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute (HVRI) under the purview of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

 

3,000 swine were tested with the ASF vaccine, with positive results. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) said the vaccine will move onto the clinical trial stage.

 

Tang Junhua, CAAS head said the 3,000 swine covered in the vaccine trials were from Heilongjiang Province, Henan Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

 

None of the vaccinated swine have shown any clinical adverse symptoms. No pathological changes were found among immunised swine.

 

Tang said the swine were given a strong virus under lab conditions, with the results showing the immune protection rate of swine groups that have been given different doses were higher than 80%.

 

Previous tests shows piglets and sows provided with the vaccine at 10 times and 100 times more than the immunisation dose. These swine were reviewed for 20 weeks, with results showing no pathological damage or clinical abnormal symptoms among the immunised swine.

 

In a MARA statement, vaccinated swine showed no virus transmissions, swine sows bred as per normal without any cases of miscarriage. Pregnant swine sows that have been vaccinated delivered piglets as per normal.

 

There is no effective ASF vaccine available in the market. Currently, swine farms and slaughterhouses are forced to cull swine and treat contaminated goods, which includes hog houses, fodder and swine transports.

 

MARA said the ASF's common infection channels are the swine's digestive and respiratory tracts.

 

-      China Global Times