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Chinese researchers claim they are one step closer to African swine fever vaccine

Researchers in China say they have isolated a strain of the African swine fever virus, paving the way for a vaccine.

But Dr. Paul Sundberg with the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) says while reports of a new isolate being grown are encouraging, an acceptable vaccine is probably still several years away.

“There are a lot of issues and a lot of hurdles to overcome with developing an effective ASF vaccine.”

He tells Brownfield the vaccine will have to be cultured in large quantities, studied for immune reaction, and tested for safety.

“There are reports from initial vaccine trials that vaccinated pigs, when challenged, would react severely to the challenge of the wild virus and die even more quickly than the controls.”

Despite those challenges, Sundberg says he is optimistic this breakthrough will eventually lead to a vaccine for African swine fever.