A new vaccine is proving to be a promising candidate for protecting swine from African Swine Fever, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
ARS scientists have developed a vaccine that can be commercially produced “while still maintaining its vaccine efficacy against the Asian ASF virus strains when tested in both European and Asian swine breeds,” the agency said Thursday.
About one-third of swine were immune two weeks after receiving the vaccine and there was full protection after four weeks.
“We are excited that our team’s research has resulted in promising vaccine candidates that are able to prevent and protect different swine breeds against the current ASF virus,” ARS Administrator Chavonda Jacobs-Young said in a statement.
“Vaccine candidates could play an important role in controlling the ongoing outbreak threatening global swine health.”
The U.S. and Canada heightened biosecurity after ASF broke out on the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
