Chinese researchers isolate strain of African swine fever in ‘first step’ towards vaccine
- Scientists in Heilongjiang province take sample from spleen of pig
- More than 950,000 animals have been culled in effort to stop spread of disease
Animal health researchers in northeastern Heilongjiang province have isolated a strain of the African swine fever virus that has spread across China since the summer, but the work is only a “first step” towards a commercially viable vaccine.
The sample was taken from the spleen of a pig at a farm in Jiamusi, where an outbreak of the disease was reported in September.
The research by a team from the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences began in late October, and the group’s findings were published for peer review in the journal Emerging Microbes and Infections on Friday.
“This is basic research,” said Zhao Dongming, lead researcher at the institute. “It is the first step, but it is hard to say when can we start to produce a vaccine.”
African swine fever is one of the deadliest viral diseases affecting pigs and poses a serious threat to China’s domestic pig population, which accounts for more than half of the world’s total, according to the researchers.
The first outbreak was reported on August 3 and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has reported another 113 since then. The disease has spread to all provinces except Tibet and Qinghai, both in western China, and the ministry said the virus urgently needed to be isolated and broken down to help control it.