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Detection of African swine fever virus in free‐ranging wild boar in Southeast Asia
Author(s) -
Denstedt Emily,
Porco Alice,
Hwang Jusun,
Nga Nguyen Thi Thanh,
Ngoc Pham Thi Bich,
Chea Sokha,
Khammavong Kongsy,
Milavong Phonesavanh,
Sours Sreyem,
Osbjer Kristina,
Tum Sothyra,
Douangngeun Bounlom,
Theppanya Watthana,
Van Long Nguyen,
Thanh Phuong Nguyen,
Tin Vinh Quang Le,
Van Hung Vo,
Hoa Nguyen Thi,
Le Anh Dao,
Fine Amanda,
Pruvot Mathieu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.13964
Subject(s) - wild boar , domestic pig , african swine fever , spillover effect , african swine fever virus , veterinary medicine , biosecurity , biology , southeast asia , geography , virology , virus , ecology , medicine , forestry , ethnology , economics , microeconomics , history
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease affecting both domestic and wild suids. The virus was introduced to Southeast Asia in early 2019 and has since spread rapidly throughout the region. Although significant efforts have been made to track and diagnose the disease in domestic pigs, very little is known about ASF in free‐ranging wild boar and their potential role in maintaining the disease within Southeast Asia. Through a collaboration between government and non‐government actors in Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia, investigations were conducted to (a) characterize the interface between domestic pigs and wild boar, (b) document risk factors for likely ASF spillover into wild boar populations by way of this interface, and (c) determine whether ASF in wild boar could be detected in each country. An extensive overlap between wild boar habitat and domestic pig ranging areas was found around villages bordering forests in all three countries, creating a high‐risk interface for viral spillover between domestic pig and wild boar populations. Fifteen and three wild boar carcasses were detected through passive reporting in Laos and Viet Nam, respectively, in 2019 and early 2020. Four of five carcasses screened in Laos and two of three in Viet Nam were confirmed positive for African swine fever virus using real‐time PCR. There were no confirmed reports of wild boar carcasses in Cambodia. This is the first confirmation of ASF in wild boar in Southeast Asia, the result of a probable viral spillover from domestic pigs, which highlights the importance of early reporting and monitoring of ASF in wild boar to enable the implementation of appropriate biosecurity measures.