The Role of Male Reproductive Organs in the Transmission of African Swine Fever—Implications for Transmission

Roszyk, Hanna; Franzke, Kati; Breithaupt, Angele; Deutschmann, Paul; Pikalo, Jutta; Carrau, Tessa; Blome, Sandra; Sehl-Ewert, Julia

doi:10.3390/v14010031

Cited by 8 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Previous studies indicated that ASFV did not enter live spermatozoa of spiked boar semen [13], but simultaneous entry of virus and spermatozoa into the ovum cannot be refuted at this point. Attachment of virions to molecules on spermatozoa has been formerly described for other DNA viruses, such as human papilloma virus (HPV, [37]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…(2021) supported this hypothesis by confirming the presence of both viral genome and infectious virions in gonadal tissue of swine infected with ASFV strains of various genotypes (gt). In these studies, ASFV genome and infectious virions were detected in testes from sexually mature domestic pigs inoculated with Zambian ASFV isolates 'KAB 6/2' (gt XI) and 'SUM 14/11' (gt XIII) [13]. Studies with adolescent wild boar produced similar results for ASFV strains 'Belgium 2018/1' (gt II) and 'Germany 2020' (gt II) [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…In these studies, ASFV genome and infectious virions were detected in testes from sexually mature domestic pigs inoculated with Zambian ASFV isolates 'KAB 6/2' (gt XI) and 'SUM 14/11' (gt XIII) [13]. Studies with adolescent wild boar produced similar results for ASFV strains 'Belgium 2018/1' (gt II) and 'Germany 2020' (gt II) [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

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Artificial insemination as alternative transmission route for African Swine Fever Virus

Friedrichs¹,

Reicks²,

Hasenfuss³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Rapid spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV), causing severe disease with often high fatality rates in Eurasian suids, prevails as a threat for pig populations and dependent industries world-wide. Although advancing scientific progress continually enhances our understanding of ASFV pathogenesis, alternative transmission routes for ASFV have yet to be assessed. Here, we demonstrate that ASFV can efficiently be transferred from infected boars to naïve recipient gilts through artificial insemination (AI). In modern pig production, semen from boar studs often supplies many sow herds. Thus, the infection of a boar stud presents the risk of rapidly and widely distributing ASFV within or between countries. Daily blood and semen collection from four boars after intramuscular inoculation with ASFV strain ‘Estonia 2014’ resulted in detection of ASFV genomes in the semen as early as 2 dpi, in blood at 1 dpi while semen quality remained largely unaffected. Ultimately, after insemination with extended semen, 7 of 14 gilts were ASFV positive by 7 days post insemination, and all gilts were ASFV positive by 35 days post insemi-nation. Twelve out of 13 gilts aborted at the onset of fever. A proportion of fetuses originating from the remaining gilt showed both abnormalities and replication of ASFV in fetal tissues. Thus, we present evidence for the efficient transmission of ASFV to gilts via AI and also to im-planted embryos. These results underline the critical role that boar semen could play in ASFV transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Artificial insemination as alternative transmission route for African Swine Fever Virus

Friedrichs¹,

Reicks²,

Hasenfuss³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, in line with macroscopic findings, histopathology confirmed the severe course of disease in all animals regardless of the outbreak area and the virus variant. Since most wild boar studies focus only on macroscopic pathology, it is even more important to study the histopathology of natural ASF infection in more depth (17, 18, 29, 30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathology of African Swine Fever in wild boar naturally infected with German virus variants

Sehl-Ewert

Deutschmann

Breithaupt

et al. 2022

Preprint

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In 2020, African swine fever (ASF) was first notified in German wild boar, reaching a case number of about 4200 to date. Upon experimental infection, pathology is well-documented, however, data on field infections are very scarce in domestic pigs and not available from wild boar, respectively. Although ASF viral genome is considered exceptionally stable, a total of five lineages with 10 distinct virus variants of genotype II have emerged in Eastern Germany. To investigate the pathology in naturally infected wild boar and to evaluate virus variants II, III and IV for their virulence, wild boar carcasses were obtained from three different outbreak areas. The cadavers underwent virological and pathomorphological investigation. Regardless of the virus variant all wild boar revealed characteristic lesions of highest severity indicative for ASF. However, wild boar infected with variant IV from Spree-Neiße (SN) district showed lower viral genome loads and a lower total viral antigen score, but simultaneously revealed more chronic lesions. Our findings indicate a protracted course of the disease at least after infection with variant IV, but need confirmation under standardized experimental conditions. There is a strong need to monitor differences in the virulence among variants to identify potential attenuation that might complicate diagnosis.

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“…WSL cells were cultivated in Iscove’s Modified Dulbecco’s Medium with Ham’s F-12 Nutrient Mix (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA): 10% FBS, 1% penicillin, and streptomycin (10,000 U/mL; Gibco, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Virus isolation and titration on porcine macrophages were carried out with macrophages derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as previously described [ 16 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of ASFV Detergent Inactivation on Biomarkers in Serum and Saliva Samples

et al. 2022

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African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable viral disease of domestic and wild suids. Despite intensive research efforts, the pathogenesis of the disease is still far from being understood. Analysis of biomarkers in different body fluids may supplement traditional pathogenesis studies. As reliable protocols are often established in laboratories with lower biosafety, the reliable inactivation of samples is crucial. The objective of this study was to find a procedure that inactivates the virus while preserving the biomarkers for downstream analyses. To this means, three different inactivation protocols were employed, namely Tergitol-type NP-40 (NP-40), polyoxyethylene-p-t-octylphenol (Triton X-100) and one with 95 °C heating. It could be demonstrated that all samples treated with 0.5% (v/v) concentration of both detergents showed an absence of virus infectivity. The same was true for heated samples. However, heated serum was not suitable for analyses. Next, the impact of treatment on biomarker readouts was assessed. While all protocols had an impact on the detection of biomarkers, correlation was retained. In particular, NP-40 may be the desired detergent for more accurate measurements while achieving efficient virus inactivation. Based on these studies, samples can be reliably inactivated for most biomarker analyses, and thus broader interdisciplinary cooperation is possible.

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The Role of Male Reproductive Organs in the Transmission of African Swine Fever—Implications for Transmission

Cited by 8 publications

References 41 publications

Artificial insemination as alternative transmission route for African Swine Fever Virus

Artificial insemination as alternative transmission route for African Swine Fever Virus

Pathology of African Swine Fever in wild boar naturally infected with German virus variants

Impact of ASFV Detergent Inactivation on Biomarkers in Serum and Saliva Samples

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