Challenging boundaries: is cross-protection evaluation necessary for African swine fever vaccine development? A case of oral vaccination in wild boar
Investigation published in Frontiers in immunology
October 1st, 2024
African swine fever (ASF) poses a significant threat to domestic pigs and wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, with the current epidemiological situation more critical than ever. The disease has spread across five continents, causing devastating losses in the swine industry. Although extensive research efforts are ongoing to develop an effective and safe vaccine, this goal remains difficult to achieve.
Among the potential vaccine candidates, live attenuated viruses (LAVs) have emerged as the most promising option due to their ability to provide strong protection against experimental challenges. However, ASF virus (ASFV) is highly diverse, with genetic and phenotypic variations across different isolates, which differ in virulence. This study highlights the limitations of a natural LAV strain (Lv17/WB/Rie1), which showed partial efficacy against a highly virulent and partially heterologous isolate (Arm07; genotype II). However, the LAV`s
effectiveness was incomplete when tested against a more phylogenetically distant virus (Ken06.Bus; genotype IX). These findings raise concerns about the feasibility of developing a universal vaccine for ASFV in the near future, emphasizing the urgent need to assess the protective scope of LAV candidates across different ASFV isolates to better define their limitations
Cadenas-Fernández E., Barroso-Arevalo S., Kosowska A., Diaz-de Frutos M., Gallardo A., Rodriguez-Bertos A., Bosch BJ., Sanchez-Vizcaino JM. and Barasona JA..
Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). | |
Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). | |
European Union Reference Laboratory for African Swine Fever. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA). Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA). | |
Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). | |