Swine Innovation Porc recently released its African swine fever research priorities.
There priorities were set by a working group of swine health experts in Canada and the United States who performed an analysis of research priorities related to ASF:
Surveillance and Animal Health
i.e. Rapid diagnostic testing and pen-side diagnostics
i.e. Testing protocols to demonstrate that pork and/or live animals are free of ASF/viable ASF virus
Project Ideas:
• Testing meat products for presence of ASF virus: validation of tests
• Validation and/or development of new serological tests for North America: determine confirmatory protocols to detect live virus following a positive PCR test (in order to know if detected virus is live or not)
• Validation of existing devices used in pen-side testing: A number of devices exist already, but it is not well understood how they perform in terms of generating false positives/negatives (some devices are undergoing testing, but more tests needed for others)
• Development of protocols for incorporation of pen-side testing devices into a national process supporting control of virus dissemination and resumption of trade.
• Testing feed for presence of ASF virus: develop sampling protocols
• Testing meat products for presence of ASF virus: develop sampling protocols
• Testing feed for presence of ASF virus: validation of tests
• Testing oral fluids for presence of ASF virus: develop sampling protocols
• Testing oral fluids for presence of ASF virus: Determine the feasibility of using oral fluid samples for active surveillance, as well as validation of oral fluid field testing (ongoing joint project USDA-CFIA)
• Screen/develop anti-viral compounds against ASF
• Investigate/develop effective agents that can be added to feed in order to prevent/eliminate the presence of ASF virus in feed ingredients
Biosecurity
i.e. How to manage/eradicate wild pigs in Canada
Project Ideas:
• Wild pig management/eradication
• Validate disinfection agents and protocols for use of on multiple construction surfaces (there is some work already ongoing in ASF-infected farms in Vietnam to develop protocols for existing agents. Also, projects are ongoing at Kansas State University on the development of new agents)
• Adapt (if required) disease transmission and risk assessment models for outdoor pigs (organic, backyard, wild)
• Establish and enable interaction/collaboration with backyard pig producers
Destruction/Disposal:
i.e. Humane slaughter methodologies by size class; Disposal of waste material
Project Ideas:
• Develop an effective mass euthanasia protocol in an outbreak scenario: developing new/adapting existing euthanasia technologies integrated into a workable strategy
Mental Health
i.e. Managing the mental health challenges associated with a large-scale border closure. Project Ideas:
• Develop best practices for producers and personnel in order to be well prepared for an ASF outbreak
Economic Impact
i.e. Enabling the swine industry to recover from an ASF outbreak
Project Ideas:
• Develop best practices/economic tools to allow the industry recover as quickly as possible from an ASF event
Knowledge Transfer / Extension
i.e. Enhanced farm level biosecurity
i.e. Motivating small-scale producers to improve production systems
Project Ideas:
• Develop communication strategies for backyard and hunter stakeholders
• SIP can work with Prairie Swine Centre, Centre de développement du porc du Québec and provincial pork organizations to develop/coordinate relevant KT and/or on-farm demonstration programs •
— Swine Innovation Porc