African swine fever: symptoms and treatment, danger to humans, how it is transmitted

Owners of livestock farms in Russia are concerned about the safety of animals due to the active spread of African swine fever. Every farmer should study the symptoms of infection, ways of spread and possible danger. Also important is the question of whether it is permissible to eat the meat of infected livestock.

General characteristics of the disease

Swine fever is a highly resistant viral infection. According to experts, the causative agent of infection remains viable for 1.5 years.The virus is dangerous for individuals of any age and in the natural environment is carried by wild African pigs, rodents, birds, domestic and wild animals that have had contact with infected livestock. People can also contribute to the spread of the disease.

At the initial stage of infection, individuals look he althy, since the main processes occur inside the body. The consequences of infection are multiple hemorrhages in the connective tissues, enlargement of the liver, spleen and kidneys. The lymph of swine fever victims looks like a solid blood clot. Pulmonary edema also occurs.

Reasons for appearance

The virus was first recorded and studied in 1921 in eastern Africa. In Russia and the post-Soviet states, the virus began to spread in 2008. The intensive spread of infection around the globe is due to the following reasons:

• migration of people across different countries;
• active building up of interstate economic ties;
• development of pig breeding and frequent use of meat products and fat for food.

The main reason is the impossibility of complete destruction of the virus in nature. African swine fever is transmitted by pigs after contact with already infected individuals. The infectious agent is also spread through food, water, livestock care equipment and livestock transport.

Disease symptoms

Clinical symptoms of the plague have a number of similarities with signs of other diseases. First, in pigs, body temperature rises sharply, shortness of breath occurs, thirst increases and appetite is lost. As the infection progresses, the condition of the animals worsens. African plague can occur in different forms, on which the presence of specific signs depends.

Super Spicy

Flash current, also called hyperacute, is most common in piglets. Infected pigs show signs such as fever from 41 degrees, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, the formation of bright red spots on the body, vomiting. With a lightning-fast course of the plague, cattle die after 1-2 days.

Spicy

Acute course often manifests itself at the beginning of an epizootic. Typical first symptoms include:

• permanent type of fever;
• body temperature 40-41 degrees;
• rapidly progressing general weakness.

A few days after infection, animals develop anorexia, conjunctivitis, ataxia. Chills, constipation and vomiting also occur.

Subacute

The duration of the subacute course of African plague is 2-3 weeks. This stage is manifested by signs of damage to the respiratory organs or the digestive system.

If the lungs are affected, croupous pneumonia develops, due to which the pigs begin to cough violently, the chest hurts and the breathing process becomes more complicated.

The intestinal form is accompanied by enterocolitis, diarrhea, perverted appetite. Animals begin to lose weight, weaken and have difficulty moving. Infected cattle lie a lot and in most situations die. With a favorable outcome, the appetite is gradually restored, the symptoms disappear, and the animals become more active. After recovery, pigs remain carriers of the virus for 10-12 months.

Chronic

The chronic course lasts up to two months or longer. Animals infected with the infection have periodic diarrhea, an inconsistent kind of fever, changeable appetite, and coughing. Pigs begin to lose weight, their skin wrinkles, the ends of the tail and ears die.The exact signs of African plague infection depend on the complications of the secondary infection. At the same time, in each case, the animals gradually become similar to zamory. The fatality rate varies between 30-60%.

Diagnostic Methods

The formation of pronounced cyanotic spots on the body of pigs is perceived as a prerequisite for a comprehensive diagnosis in a veterinary clinic. If you notice signs of African plague, you should immediately seek professional help and isolate suspicious individuals from the rest of the livestock. To make an accurate diagnosis, the veterinarian conducts a set of diagnostic manipulations with infected animals.

The specialist makes a conclusion based on the existing signs of infection and pathological changes. It is required to find out the cause of infection and the source from which the virus entered the herd.

It is possible to isolate the virus and its antigen using biological samples and research in the laboratory. During the diagnosis, modern technologies are used and an analysis is taken for antibodies, the presence of which is considered as the main factor in identifying the infection.

African swine fever treatment

Due to the high degree of contagiousness of swine fever, diseased pigs are destroyed. In addition, scientists are still developing a vaccine against the virus. The main difficulty is that the virus often mutates and the disease is often asymptomatic. In such situations, control measures are ineffective.

How does ASF threaten people?

The African plague virus does not pose a danger to humans, affecting only pigs. Since the plague genome cannot withstand heat treatment of more than 70 degrees, animal meat is allowed to be eaten. Despite this, there is potential danger in the future if the virus continues to mutate.

As a rule, the infection of livestock affects only the economic component, since it takes a lot of money to eliminate the source of infection. The spread of the virus leads to the loss of livestock and the need to restore the number of animals.

Prevention measures

Preventive measures that completely eliminate infection have not yet been created. All actions taken are aimed at suppressing outbreaks of infection, combating the active spread of the virus, and reducing the likelihood of infection of he althy individuals. When a plague outbreak is detected, all animals in the epicenter are destroyed due to the lack of a vaccine. When faced with livestock infection, take the following actions:

• burn pig carcasses, contaminated feed and livestock care equipment;
• ash is mixed with lime and buried;
• farm and surrounding areas are treated with a disinfectant solution;
• announced quarantine, which ends 6 months after the last loss of livestock;
• pig farm is not used for keeping livestock for a year after the end of quarantine.

To reduce the risk of infection of animals, it is necessary to vaccinate against classical plague in a veterinary clinic in a timely manner. This will support the immunity of livestock and increase protection against the virus. Livestock should be kept in a closed area, avoiding free range. With a frequency of 2-3 months, treatment of animals and pig farms from blood-sucking parasites is required. If you notice signs of plague, you should immediately contact the veterinary service.

Also, precautionary measures are taken at the state level. There are a number of regulations that apply to the import of meat products and live animals, including a ban on imports from countries where outbreaks have been seen.

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