According to a paper published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, researchers were able to demonstrate the efficacy of an oral vaccine for African swine fever for wild boars. Veterinary scientists used wild boars as test subjects for the vaccine since they are the principal host species for the disease in the EU. The vaccine was based on type II ASF – a strain which was isolated in Latvia in 2017. The type II strain was tested against a more current iteration of the disease. Results from the experiments indicated that wild boars who received the vaccine through their food demonstrated 92 percent protection against the current form of the virus.

This finding is a promising step in the development of a vaccine against African swine fever. The researchers state that additional studies need to be carried out on the trial vaccine to assess the safety of repeated administration and potential overdose. More research should also be devoted to determine the potential for long-term shedding of the virus. Scientists should also verify the genetic stability of the vaccine. This step would allow researchers to confirm if the type II strain can be used to treat multiple forms of ASF and be used as part of an ASF control programme.

The full research paper can be read here.