Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • Innovation supplement 2024
    • Pig & Poultry Fair Guide 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • Pig Nutrition (Beyond Zinc)
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • National Pig Awards Supplement 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. May 2025
    2. April 2025
    3. March 2025
    4. 2025 Buildings supplement
    5. February 2025
    6. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    7. January 2025
    8. December 2024
    9. November 2024
    10. National Pig Awards supplement
    11. October 2024
    12. September 2024
    13. August 2024
    14. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    15. July 2024
    16. June 2024
    17. Innovation supplement 2024
    18. Pig & Poultry Fair Guide 2024
    19. May 2024
    20. April 2024
    21. Buildings Supplement
    22. March 2024
    23. Pig Nutrition (Beyond Zinc)
    24. February 2024
    25. January 2024
    26. December 2023
    27. November 2023
    28. National Pig Awards Supplement 2023
    29. October 2023
    30. September 2023
    31. Health Supplement
    Featured

    May 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    May 1, 2025
    Recent

    May 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    May 1, 2025

    April 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    April 4, 2025

    March 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    March 6, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
African swine fever

Chinese study discovers new hard-to-detect variants of African swine fever

Iain HoeyBy Iain HoeyFebruary 26, 20212 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

New variants of the African swine fever (ASF) are reportedly circulating in China, which  appear to cause a milder form of the disease, making it less deadly but harder to detect and to bring under control, studies published this month have shown.

According to Reuters, the first study from the Military Veterinary Institute in Changchun reported finding a virus that had a partial deletion of genes, previously shown to protect pigs against the African swine fever (ASF) when deleted.

A second paper by a team at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences also looked at natural mutations of the virus which decimated China’s pig herd during 2018-19 and continues to harm pig herds around the world.

“The emergence of lower virulent natural mutants brings greater difficulty to early detection and poses new challenges for the control of ASF,” Sun Encheng and colleagues wrote in the Life Sciences journal, noting that mutant viruses cause a “much more delayed course, and mild, chronic signs, while being continuously shed via the oral and rectal routes.”

The new findings are based on sampling from seven provinces during the second half of 2020. The team found 22 isolates with mutations, and tested four of those for virulence in pigs. Two isolates found were as lethal as the earliest virus circulating in China. Two further isolates showed lower virulence with symptoms varying from partially lethal to non-lethal depending on the dose given to pigs.

Last month there were reports that that at least two new strains of ASF had been found on Chinese pig farms, which appeared to be man-made. The strains are causing a chronic form of ASF that is impacting production on sow farms, industry insiders have said, with the disease also harder to detect.

Linda Dixon, an expert on the disease at Britain’s Pirbright Institute, said the study is “very important” for understanding the epidemiology of African swine fever.

“It would be beneficial for other countries, particularly in Asia, to monitor for circulation of variants of reduced virulence to ensure their control measures are appropriate,” Dixon said.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleNew ASF cases found in parts of Africa
Next Article ASF linked to recent pig deaths in Malaysia
Iain Hoey

Read Similar Stories

Red Tractor appoints farmer as chair for the first time

May 23, 2025

US-China trade tensions creating opportunities for Brazil and Europe – RaboResearch

May 23, 2025

AHDB CEO to join Sofina Foods later this year

May 22, 2025
Latest News

Red Tractor appoints farmer as chair for the first time

May 23, 2025

US-China trade tensions creating opportunities for Brazil and Europe – RaboResearch

May 23, 2025

AHDB CEO to join Sofina Foods later this year

May 22, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Senior-Level Pig Stockperson – Ref 1742 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1471 West Sussex

    • West Sussex
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1740 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.