MANHATTAN — African swine fever virus threatens to devastate the swine industry and is positioned to spread throughout Asia. The virus has spread throughout the Caucuses region of Eastern Europe and was reported in China in August. It recently was detected in wild boar in Belgium.
Kansas State University researchers and the Biosecurity Research Institute have several projects focused on African swine fever. Their research topics vary, but they share the same goal of stopping the spread of African swine fever and preventing it from reaching the U.S.
If African swine fever enters the U.S., it could cause billions in economic losses to swine and other industries, animal disease experts say. It would devastate trade and international markets.
There is no vaccine or cure for the disease, which causes hemorrhagic fever and high mortality in pigs. It does not infect humans.
"African swine fever's introduction into China poses an increased threat to the U.S.," said Stephen Higgs , director of the Biosecurity Research Institute. "Introduction of African swine fever virus into the U.S. would have an enormous impact on our agricultural industry. Research, education and training at the Biosecurity Research Institute help to improve our understanding and preparedness for this threat."
In 2013, the Biosecurity Research Institute became the first non-federal facility to be approved for work with African swine fever virus, Higgs said. The university projects at the Biosecurity Research Institute are part of research that can transition to the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, or NBAF, once it is fully functional. African swine fever is one of the diseases slated to be researched at NBAF, which is under construction adjacent to Kansas State University's Manhattan campus.
The African swine fever projects at Kansas State University are funded in part by the $35 million State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund and also have received support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the pork industry.
Read Stephen Higgs' editorial on African swine fever, which recently was published in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.
Here are some of the Kansas State University faces behind the fight against African swine fever.
Name: Waithaka Mwangi , associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Photo: k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/mwangi.jpg
Areas of study related to African swine fever: Vaccine development and diagnostic tools.
Recent African swine fever-related research: Publication in PLOS ONE ; publication in Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology ; publication in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology ; publication in the Journal of General Virology
Description of the research: Mwangi has been studying African swine fever for several years and has filed patents related to development of vaccines and diagnostic tools. In his latest research, Mwangi and Raymond "Bob" Rowland, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, as well as Shehnaz Lokhandwala, postdoctoral fellow in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, have tested vaccine prototypes at the Biosecurity Research Institute. Some of their vaccines have shown 56 percent protection against African swine fever and they have several studies pending to evaluate additional vaccine prototypes.
Mwangi's lab also is developing diagnostic tools, including a highly-sensitive lateral flow diagnostic device for African swine fever. He is partnering with several companies and has received funding from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Pork Board and the Department of Agriculture as well as the State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund.
Why the research is important: "African swine fever is a high-consequence transboundary animal disease for which there is no vaccine or treatment available," Mwangi said. "Thus, development of vaccines and a diagnostic test capable of differentiating infected from vaccinated animals is critically important to safeguard the swine industry and preserve future competitiveness of the U.S. pork industry. In addition, these vaccines will help in controlling virus spread in endemic regions and thereby minimize the transmission threat to the U.S."
More information: vet.k-state.edu/education/dmp/faculty-staff/faculty/mwangi/mwangi.html
Name: Jürgen Richt, Regents distinguished professor and director of the university's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD.
Photo: k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/richt.jpg
Areas of study related to African swine fever: Novel vaccines and diagnostic approaches.
Recent African swine fever-related research: Publications from the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases
Description of the research: Richt was principal investigator of a CEEZAD-based research project that developed an approach based on prime-boost vaccination, combining African swine fever virus antigens encoded by DNA plasmids and recombinant African swine fever virus proteins with the aim to activate both humoral and cellular immunity. Richt also has developed gene-deleted African swine fever viruses to be used as modified live virus vaccines using CRISPR-Cas9 knock-out approaches in collaboration with Yolanda Revilla at Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa in Madrid.
In diagnostics, Richt leads CEEZAD efforts to develop tests for the detection of markers of African swine fever virus and anti-African swine fever virus antibodies in different samples such as oral fluids and meat juice. Work is also being done on African swine fever virus detection using a portable detection device.
Why the research is important: "African swine fever presents a serious and ongoing threat to the swine industry both in the United States and around the world, particularly with its recent spread through Eastern Europe and into China," Richt said. "It is imperative to the safety of our food supply and to our economic health that we pursue research into a solution to this important threat."
More information: k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2018-08/asf82118.html and ceezad.org
Name: Jishu Shi , professor of vaccine immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Photo: k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/shi.jpg
Areas of study related to African swine fever: Virus detection, vaccine development and transmission.
Recent African swine fever-related research: Publication in the Journal of Virological Methods
Description of the research: Shi's lab studies African swine fever virus detection, vaccine development and transmission between feral and domestic pigs. Shi has worked with Jianfa Bai, director of molecular research and development at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and other collaborators to develop and validate a multiplex polymerase chain reaction that can simultaneously detect African swine fever virus, classical swine fever virus, and foot-and-mouth disease virus in one sample. Shi's lab currently is developing novel technologies that can be used to develop African swine fever vaccines. After the recent outbreak in China, Shi is establishing new collaborations to study the transmission of the virus between wild and domestic pigs.
Why the research is important: "The most effective defense against foreign animal diseases such as African swine fever, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease is to keep them outside the U.S.," Shi said. "That is why we have developed fast and sensitive virus detection methods such as the multiplex polymerase chain reaction panel for African swine fever virus, classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus. We are developing new technologies that can be used to create an efficacious African swine fever vaccine. Before an efficacious vaccine is available, we have to understand and develop novel strategies to control the disease spillover between wild and domestic pig populations."
More information: vet.k-state.edu/education/anatomy-physiology/faculty-staff/faculty/shi/