【Background】

African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) was very active in 2018. According to one report of OIE, more than 20 countries around the world were hit by nearly 5,000 ASF outbreaks. Up to January 16, 2019, there have been in total 102 outbreaks of ASF in the 24 provinces of China; from August 3,2018 to January 14,2019 there were 916,000 head of pigs were slaughtered because of the disease, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (MOA).

In less than half of a year, ASF has caused economic losses of more than one billion RMB in China. In addition to the challenges it brings forth to the swine industry, ASF has also been impacting the global pork trade and the entire pork and food supply chain. Quite a number of countries have banned the imported swine by-products and pork products, triggering widespread concern. In terms of scientific prevention and control of ASF, the management of table scraps (swill) along the entire chain, vaccine R&D are key points. To scientifically contain the spread of the disease, bio-security is a top priority. So, how will the pig farms find the optimal solutions to fighting ASF? What could be done to control the risks in swine/pork products and food circulation? What risks kitchen scraps pose to sectors such as production, transportation and waste treatment? What are the practical solutions to changing the custom that dates back thousands of years of feeding swill to the pigs?

So far, at least eight countries and 15 research institutions are committed to the R&D of vaccines for ASF. In January, 2019, China launched its research in gene-deleted live attenuated vaccines. In October, 2018, Zoetis was authorized to exclusively use the patented vaccine developed by University of Connecticut—the attenuated African Swine Fever virus vaccine based in the deletion of MGF genes. In March, 2018, scientists in Spain published their research finding on the generation of putative live attenuated vaccines (LAV) prototypes by constructing recombinant NH/P68 viruses lacking these specific genes and containing specific markers...

In three years, ASF would have been around for a hundred years in the world. In the next three to five years, whether ASF vaccines can find their way to industrial application would be of great significance to the prevention and control ASF outbreaks. What is the latest progress in developing the ASF inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, attenuated live vaccines, nucleic acid vaccines and attenuated live vectorial vaccines? What is the difference between the epidemiological patterns of ASF in China and those of the disease in other countries? Focusing on the above-mentioned questions, the 2019 LyJa-TAFS Scientific Conference on African Swine Fever will be held. The event which features the collaboration between Pig International China magazine under LyJa Media and the international veterinary organization TAFS (Trust in Animals and Food Safety) will invite renown experts, academics, veterinarians and entrepreneurs to explore the prevention and control of ASF, the research in the vaccines for the disease and the management of kitchen waste along the entire industry chain, etc.

【Topics】

◆ Global situation of ASF (José Sanchez-Vizcaino)

◆ Facts and lesson learned from the ASF epidemic in Europe (Klaus Depner)

◆ Diagnostics and vaccines (José, NN CAHEC, Patrick Buholzer, ThermoFisher)

◆ Biosecurity: the key of ASF control (Klaus)

◆ ASF situation in China (NN CAHEC and NN CADC)

◆ Pig production systems in China (Dirk Pfeiffer)

◆ Role of wild boars in ASF transmission and spread (Klaus)