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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

A smartphone-integrated plasmonic biosensor for amplification-free detection of African swine fever virus.

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) poses a catastrophic threat to global swine production, with recent outbreaks across Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, significantly elevating the biosecurity risk to the United States' billion-dollar pork industry. Current diagnostic gold standards are laboratory-dependent and introduce critical delays in outbreak response. To address this gap, a plasmonic biosensor based on functionalized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) was developed for the rapid, amplification-free detection of ASFV. GNPs were surface-functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUDA) and combined in situ with ASFV-specific oligonucleotide probes targeting a conserved region of the p72 (B646L) gene. The detection mechanism relies on acid-induced aggregation: hybridization of target ASFV DNA to the probe generates a rigid duplex that shields the nanoparticles from acid-induced destabilization, maintaining a ruby-red color, whereas in the absence of target DNA the GNPs aggregate, producing a visible red-to-blue color shift. The optimized plasmonic biosensor demonstrated 100% analytical specificity, with no cross-reactivity against a panel of 19 non-target bacterial genomic DNA samples representative of the swine environment. Detection limits determined by the IUPAC 3σ criterion were 285 copies per reaction for Probe 1 and 402 copies per reaction for Probe 2, within the same order of magnitude as the qPCR reference assay run on the same dilution series (approximately 312 copies per reaction) under the experimental conditions used here. A smartphone-based Bio-Analytics App employing an RGB color-conversion algorithm served as a quantitative reader, yielding signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) that strongly correlated with benchtop spectrophotometric readings (A520/A620 ratio, R2 = 0.96) and achieved diagnostic concordance with qPCR binary calls. This platform offers a robust and low-cost (∼$2 per test), amplification-free approach to ASFV screening with potential for point-of-need deployment, subject to future validation in clinical specimens.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2026

'PePApipe': A complete bioinformatics analysis pipeline for African Swine Fever Virus genome.

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is of high concern in porcine livestock across the world due to both the high mortality rates and the trade restrictions imposed on affected regions. The viral genome is large and complex, and genomic analysis is essential for tracing its origin and evolution. Although several bioinformatics tools exist for genome assembly and analysis, no single platform integrates all necessary steps in an accessible and systematic way. In this study the authors developed 'PePApipe', a custom-built, user-friendly pipeline that enables rapid, complete, and efficient ASFV genome analysis. It is specifically designed for laboratory professionals with limited bioinformatics experience, requiring only basic command-line knowledge. Starting from raw sequencing data, PePApipe integrates thirteen software tools into one automated workflow, covering quality control and pre-processing of raw reads, de novo genome assembly and variant calling. Programmed in Python, it can be executed locally through bash scripts, or using a Slurm protocol for batch processing of multiple samples. The main outputs are the ASFV consensus genome sequence and a file listing its putative variants compared to the selected reference genome. PePApipe classifies generated files into structured folders and produces intermediate files that can be used as inputs for further or parallel analyses; users can also enable or disable specific steps in each particular case. This pipeline is adaptable and complementary to downstream steps such as viral genome annotation or genome visualization. By consolidating all stages of viral genome analysis into a single automated workflow, PePApipe reduces the likelihood of user error, and enhances reproducibility and efficiency. This user-friendly pipeline facilitates the transition from sequencing to assembly and downstream analysis of viral genomes, ensuring a fast and reliable response to molecular analysis demands. Finally, the pipeline can be easily adapted to the study of other viral species, expanding its application in infectious diseases surveillance.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1976

Isolation and properties of the DNA of African swine fever (ASF) virus.

African swine fever (ASF) virus was grown either in swine macrophages or in VERO cells and purified free of cell DNA. Virus DNA was isolated from virions as a molecule with a sedimentation coefficient of 60S and a contour of 58 +/- 3 mum. .these two values give a mol. wt. of 102 +/- 5 X 10(6) and 107 +/- 5 X 10(6), respectively, for the genome of ASF virus. Denatured DNA fragments from ASF virus reassociate with a C0t1/2 value of 0-60 +/- 0-05 MS, which compared with the corresponding value for T4 DNA gives for the molecular mass of ASF virus DNA a value of 102 +/- 8 X 10(6) daltons. Only virus DNA is synthesized ASF virus-infected swine macrophages.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1979

Cross-links in African swine fever virus DNA.

African swine fever virus DNA sediments in neutral sucrose density gradients as a single component with a sedimentation coefficient of 60S. In alkaline sucrose density gradients, this material shows two components with sedimentation coefficients of 85S and 95S, respectively. The sedimentation rate value of alkali-denatured virus DNA in neutral sucrose density gradients and the renaturation velocity of denatured DNA show that is reassociated much faster than expected from its genetic complexity. This behavior is compatible with the existence of interstrand cross-links in the molecule. We also present results which suggest that there are only a few such cross-links per molecule, that they are sensitive to S1 nuclease digestion, and that they are probably located next to the ends of the DNA.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1977

Cellular immunity demonstrated in pigs infected with African swine fever virus.

Twenty-two pigs infected with African swine fever virus (ASFV) were used to demonstrate delayed hypersensitivity (DH) in vitro by the leukocyte migration-inhibition test. The results indicated that ASFV-infected pigs developed DH against ASFV antigen (ASF antigen) as early as 20 days after inoculation, and the presence of viremia did not interfere with the leukocyte migration-inhibition test. Three ASFV-infected pigs that were also sensitized to mycobacterium developed DH against both ASF antigen and mycobacterium. The conclusion was that the cellular immune system is not impaired by ASFV infection in pigs.

African Swine Fever↗
PubMed1975

African swine fever: an epizootiological review with special reference to the South African situation.

The most important characteristics and the distribution of the viruses of African swine fever and hog cholera are reviewed. Both viruses were probably present simultaneously in South Africa in the first two decades of the century. While hog cholera was eradicated by 1918, African swine fever persists to the present day because it has a different epizootiology. The role played by wild pigs and the argasid tick (Ornithodoros moubata porcinus) in the epizootiology of African swine fever is discussed and an account of the outbreaks of the disease in South Africa from 1926 to 1974 is given. It appears that the disease in the Transvaal has had a cyclic occurrence.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Profiling Identifies a Core Gene-Metabolite Axis Driving African Swine Fever Virus Replication in the Soft Tick Ornithodoros lahorensis.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes an incurable swine disease with nearly 100% mortality, posing a catastrophic threat to global pig production. The soft tick Ornithodoros lahorensis acts as a critical biological vector that sustains persistent ASFV replication and mediates long-distance viral transmission, yet the molecular mechanisms governing ASFV-tick interplay remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics to systematically dissect molecular changes in O.&#xa0;lahorensis across three infection stages: Uninfected control, early infection (7&#x2009;days post-infection, dpi), and late persistent infection (21 dpi). Multi-omics integration revealed that ASFV extensively remodels tick host metabolism, predominantly activating purine/pyrimidine metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, and energy metabolism. We further characterized a conserved regulatory module consisting of 12 core genes and 8 signature metabolites that collectively support ASFV genome replication and virion assembly. Three hub metabolic genes (TK1, ATP5F1B, and IMPDH) were selected for functional validation via siRNA silencing in ticks; individual gene silencing suppressed ASFV loads by 89.2%, 91.5%, and 87.8%, respectively (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001***). This work represents the first comprehensive multi-omics investigation of ASFV infection in O. lahorensis. We identified tick-specific molecular targets to block vector-mediated ASFV spread and established a standardized multi-omics analytical pipeline for tick-virus interaction research. Our findings elucidate the mechanistic basis of long-term ASFV persistence in soft ticks and deliver novel actionable clues for developing vector-targeted ASF intervention strategies.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Titration of African swine fever (ASF) virus.

A haemadsorption microtest for African swine fever (ASF) virus is described. This assay is as sensitive and its response is faster than the conventional assay which uses buffy coat cultures in Leighton tubes. The method can also process a larger number of samples by using smaller amounts of swine blood and laboratory space. A plaque assay for ASF virus adapted to grow in VERO cells gives a titre similar to that obtained using the haemadsorption microtest. In both the micromethod and the plaque assay infection may be produced by a single infective particle.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1977

The association of African swine fever virus with blood components of infected pigs.

The distribution of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in whole blood, plasma, red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cell (WbC) sub-populations was determined in pigs infected with virulent virus. Changes in the RBC and WBC populations were also examined. Total WBC counts decreased and RBC numbers remained unchanged during the course of the disease. The number of circulating lymphocytes decreased whilst neutrophil numbers increased owing to the replacement of mature forms by juveniles. Virus was present in all major blood fractions and was associated with equivalent numbers of both RBC and WBC. However, 90 per cent of the virus in whole blood was associated with RBC. Of the WBC subpopulations, virus was definitely associated with lymphocytes and possibly neutrophils.

African Swine Fever↗
PubMed1979

African swine fever: pathogenicity and immunogenicity of two non-haemadsorbing viruses.

The virulence of 2 non-haemadsorbing African swine fever virus isolates were compared with 2 haemodsorbing viruses. While 3 of these isolates usually produced acute death in pigs, 1 non-haemadsorbing virus caused either a fatal infection with an extended course, or few or no obvious signs of infection. Pigs that survived infection with the latter virus were resistant to the lethal effects of the other 3 strains as well as to a pool of 7 isolates made from Ornithodorus porcinus porcinus (senus Walton, 1964) and warthog obtained in the Northern Transvaal.

African Swine Fever↗
PubMed1977

Requirement of cell nucleus for African swine fever virus replication in Vero cells.

The role of the cell nucleus in the development of African swine fever virus in Vero cells has been studied. No viral growth could be detected in enucleated cells under conditions that allow normal development of Sindbis virus. Furthermore, African swine fever virus DNA synthesis was inhibited more than 95% after infection of enucleated Vero cells as compared with normal cells.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1979

Synthesis of DNA in cells infected with African swine fever virus.

Incorporation of 14C-thymidine by cells infected with African swine fever virus (ASFV) occurs in the nucleus. Part of this DNA is transferred to the cytoplasm and becomes resistant to DNAse. The nuclear fraction washed with Triton X100 retained all labeled DNA and was able to synthesize viral and cellular DNA under in vitro conditions in the presence of the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates, Mg+2, and sucrose. Under similar conditions nuclei from uninfected cells synthesized very little DNA.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1978

The growth of virulent African swine fever virus in pig monocytes and macrophages.

The replication of virulent African swine fever virus (ASFV) in cultures of monocytes and macrophages derived from pig bone marrow (PBM) and pig leukocyte (PL) cells was investigated by light microscopy, immunofluorescence, haemadsorption and infective virus release. Monocytes showed a high rate of infection and complete destruction within 2 to 3 days, whereas macrophages had only a very low level of infection and survived to form persistently infected cultures. These observations may explain the decrease in sensitivity of PBM and PL cells for ASFV assay after extended periods of incubation and suggest that the macrophage may be one of the cell types concerned with virus persistence in the pig.

African Swine Fever Virus↗
PubMed1979

A solid-phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of African swine fever virus antigen and antibody.

A solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to measure both African swine fever virus (ASFV) antigen and antibody. Experiments showed it to be reproducible and able to detect limiting antigen concentrations of 50--500 HAD50/ml. The assay was more sensitive than those used at present to detect ASFV antibody and it is suggested that it might be of great diagnostic use in countries where African swine fever has recently appeared.

African Swine Fever Virus↗