ASF represents one of the most consequential transboundary animal diseases of the 21st century. While acute and highly fatal outbreaks continue to occur, growing evidence suggests that, in some areas with prolonged ASFV circulation, the epidemiological landscape is increasingly also shaped by endemic persistence and ongoing viral evolution. Emerging attenuated and recombinant variants, together with evolving control strategies and increasing interest in vaccination, may alter transmission dynamics and the selective environment for the ASF virus. At the same time, biological constraints associated with vaccine development and heterogeneity in surveillance systems may complicate disease detection and interpretation of emerging epidemiological patterns.
In our new Perspective article in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, we examine how the convergence of these developments may alter ASF epidemiology. We propose that ASF should increasingly be viewed as a long-term adaptive management challenge requiring coordinated approaches that integrate vaccination, surveillance, and evolutionary considerations across diverse production systems.
You can find out more in the ASF Section
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