A live attenuated African swine fever (ASF) vaccine has been developed in India, as the country continues to battle the virus.
Scientists at the ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal, have generated a novel attenuated ASF virus with unique gene deletions using an Indian field isolate of ASFV Genotype II in MA-104 cells. Using this novel ASF virus, an indigenous live attenuated ASF vaccine has been developed.
The virus exhibits stable replication characteristics in the MA-104 cell line, making it highly suitable for industrial-scale manufacturing. It has successfully undergone comprehensive laboratory evaluation, including sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy and virulence reversion studies, the institute said.
The vaccine is recommended for healthy pigs from eight weeks of age. It is administered as a 1 mL intramuscular injection, followed by a booster dose 14 days after the primary vaccination.
The Indian vaccine differs from the commercially licensed ASF vaccines in use in Vietnam. They are based on genetically engineered ASF viruses propagated in patented proprietary cell lines, whereas the indigenous vaccine is based on a commonly available cell line (MA-104).
This represents a ‘major technological breakthrough’, according to the researchers, as it ‘eliminates the dependence on proprietary manufacturing platforms, and enables scalable vaccine production while significantly reducing manufacturing cost’.
“This indigenous vaccine represents a major milestone in India’s efforts towards self-reliance in veterinary vaccine development and positions India to emerge as a major supplier of affordable, high-quality ASF vaccines to the international market,” the researchers said.
Strengthen ASF control
The vaccine was ‘dedicated to the nation’ by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, at the ICAR institute in New Delhi.
It is expected to significantly strengthen the prevention and control of ASF, thereby reducing pig mortality, minimising economic losses and improving the livelihoods of pig farmers across the country.
Since it was first detected in India in 2020, ASF has spread to several states and territories, particularly in the north-eastern region. It has caused substantial losses to the pig industry through massive mortality, disruption of pig production, restrictions on animal movement and trade and adverse impacts on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The initial ASF outbreak is estimated to have cost the industry approximately Rs. 2.76 billion due to pig mortality and culling in 2020 and 2021 in Assam.
It also has been reported that ASF outbreaks have affected more than 11,382 households in Mizoram state alone up to 2025, resulting in an estimated financial loss of approximately Rs 982.16 crore.
“In the absence of any effective treatment or an approved commercial vaccine in India, disease control relies mainly on rapid diagnosis, culling of infected animals and strict biosecurity measures,” the researchers said.