bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Mimi Lau

A Chinese state laboratory has detected two more-transmissible mutations of the African swine fever virus, a disease that has devastated pig herds across the country in recent years.
In a paper published on Friday, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science’s Harbin Veterinary Research Institute said they carried out genetic analysis of various natural mutations of the virus found in seven provinces between June and December.
Two of the emerging strains were highly transmissible and less virulent than the dominant strain, making them more difficult to detect.
“The emergence of lower virulent natural mutants brings greater difficulty to the early diagnosis
of African swine fever and creates new challenges for control [of the virus],” they said.


The team also detected mutated strains that were as lethal as the prevalent strain.
The paper was published in Science China Life Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
African swine fever does not infect humans but it spread like wildfire through the country’s swine herds in 2018, killing 100 million pigs and inflicting heavy losses on farmers.
There is no commercial vaccine or effective treatment for the disease, which remains a threat to global food security.
China accounts for almost half of the world’s consumption of pork, the price of which rose to record levels last year after swine fever forced farm closures, wiped out half of the nation’s pig population and throttled supply to end consumers.
The crisis prompted the central government to tap into its pork reserves and subsidise consumers to suppress inflation.
Fitch Ratings estimated that the 2018 outbreak caused a shortfall of 4.3 million tonnes of the staple meat last year. Last year’s pork output fell 3.3 per cent to 41.13 million tonnes after falling 21 per cent in 2019.


Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that a swine fever vaccine developed by the Harbin institute was advancing to the next phase of clinical and production trials after a series of positive tests.
But experts say low standards of biosecurity, lack of oversight and local government cover-ups of outbreaks allow the disease to spread.
The disease is a global issue that arises from the competing demands of raising livestock to feed growing populations and managing the disease risks for animals and humans that come with the expansion of meat production.
Meanwhile, a US study showed in October that an emerging coronavirus strain called Sads-CoV, which causes gastrointestinal illness in swine, had the potential to jump to humans.


Swine fever sweeps Italy’s north, threatens production of prized prosciutto, livelihoods

China spends big on beef from Latin America-Caribbean as copper drops among exports

Can Hong Kong learn to live with African swine fever? Expert says mass pig culls not the answer amid largest recorded outbreak

Discovery of African swine fever at Hong Kong farm prompts plan to cull 2,800 pigs

African swine fever

China on watch for mutant African swine fever strains

Chinese researchers say they have found two mutations of African swine fever that are less virulent but highly transmissible. Photo: EPA-EFE

China’s pork output recovered ‘higher than expected’ last year after African swine fever ravaged 2019

China slaughtered 527.04 million hogs in 2020, the data showed, down 3.2 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Photo: EPA-EFE

China slaughtered 527.04 million hogs in 2020, the data showed, down 3.2 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Photo: Reuters

China launches hog futures on Dalian exchange after African swine fever triggers wild swings in pork prices, inflation

China accounts for almost half of the world’s consumption of pork. Photo: Reuters

A new coronavirus fear? New strain seen in swine has potential to jump to humans, US study finds

The new virus causes gastrointestinal issues in swine and it might produce respiratory or other issues in people, said Rachel Graham of UNC’s Department of Epidemiology. Photo: AFP via Getty Images / TNS

News

China

Science


Researchers say they have found two variants that spread more easily than the dominant type
Disease devastated pig herds in 2018 as millions were culled to contain outbreaks



Researchers say they have found two variants that spread more easily than the dominant type.


China on watch for mutant African swine fever strains

Researchers say they have found two variants that spread more easily than the dominant type Disease devastated pig herds in 2018 as millions were culled to contain outbreaks

Researchers say they have found two variants that spread more easily than the dominant type

Disease devastated pig herds in 2018 as millions were culled to contain outbreaks