AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS-INFECTION OF THE BUSHPIG (POTAMOCHOERUS-PORCUS) AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE DISEASE

Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), giant forest hog (Hylochoerus mein ertzhageni) and bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus) are known to be suscept ible to infection with African swine fever (ASF) virus. Little however , is known about the ecology of the disease in the bushpig. This study has shown that the bushpig remains viraemic for between 35 and 91 day s following infection during which time it is able to infect the tick vector O, moubata, These ticks were able to transmit the disease to pi gs, The virus persists in the lymphatic tissues for less than 34 weeks . Bushpigs infected with LIL 20/1 virus but not VIC T90/1 virus transm itted infection to in-contact pigs. Infected domestic pigs did not tra nsmit the infection to in-contact bushpigs. ASF virus was able to repl icate in in vitro cultures of bushpig leucocytes and endothelial cells . Recovered bushpigs could be reinfected with some strains of virus bu t not others. While it has been demonstrated that bushpigs remain carr iers of ASFV following infection a complete understanding of their sig nificance in the epidemiology of the disease awaits further investigat ions of their association with O. moubata. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.