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, methods of spread and possible danger. Also important is the question of whether it is permissible to eat meat from infected livestock.
General characteristics of the disease
Swine fever is a viral infection that is highly resistant to treatment.According to experts, the infectious agent remains viable for 1.5 years. The virus is dangerous for individuals of any age and is naturally transmitted by wild African pigs, rodents, birds, domestic and wild animals that have had contact with infected livestock. People can also help spread the disease.
At the initial stage of infection, individuals appear healthy, 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. Lymph from 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 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 expansion of interstate economic ties;
- development of pig farming and frequent consumption of meat products and lard.
The main reason remains the impossibility of completely destroying the virus in nature. African swine fever is transmitted by pigs after contact with already infected animals. The infectious agent is also spread through feed, water, equipment for caring for livestock and transport for transporting livestock.
Symptoms of the disease
The clinical symptoms of plague have a number of similarities with signs of other diseases. First, pigs' body temperature increases 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, which determine the presence of specific symptoms.
Super sharp
Lightning-fast disease, also called hyperacute, most often occurs in piglets. Infected pigs exhibit signs such as an elevated temperature of 41 degrees, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, the formation of bright red spots on the body, and vomiting. When the plague progresses at lightning speed, livestock dies after 1-2 days.
Spicy
An acute course often appears at the beginning of an epizootic. Typical first symptoms include:
- persistent type of fever;
- body temperature 40-41 degrees;
- rapidly progressing general weakness.
A few days after infection, animals develop anorexia, conjunctivitis, and ataxia. Chills, constipation and vomiting also appear.
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 digestive system.
If the lungs are damaged, lobar pneumonia develops, which causes pigs to have a severe cough, chest pain and difficulty breathing.
The intestinal form is accompanied by enterocolitis, diarrhea, and perverted appetite. Animals begin to lose weight, become weak and have difficulty moving. Infected cattle lie down a lot and in most situations die. If the outcome is favorable, 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 period lasts up to two months or longer. Animals infected with the infection experience periodic diarrhea, an intermittent type of fever, changeable appetite, and coughing.Pigs begin to lose weight, their skin wrinkles, and the ends of the tail and ears become dead. The exact signs of African swine fever infection depend on the complications of the secondary infection. In each case, the animals gradually become like runts. 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 complex diagnostics in a veterinary clinic. Having noticed 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 carries out 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 necessary 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 laboratory research. During 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.
Treatment options for African swine fever
Due to the high degree of contagiousness of the plague, affected 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 swine fever virus does not pose a threat to humans, affecting exclusively pigs.Since the plague genome cannot withstand heat treatment above 70 degrees, animal meat can be eaten. Despite this, there is potential danger in the future if the virus continues to mutate.
As a rule, infection of livestock affects only the economic component, since eliminating the source of infection requires large expenses. The spread of the virus leads to losses of livestock and the need to restore animal numbers.
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 healthy individuals. When a plague outbreak is discovered, all animals in the epicenter are destroyed due to the lack of a vaccine. When faced with infestation of livestock, take the following actions:
- they burn pig corpses, contaminated feed and livestock care equipment;
- the ash is mixed with lime and buried;
- the farm and surrounding areas are treated with a disinfectant solution;
- declare a quarantine that ends 6 months after the extreme loss of livestock;
- the 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 promptly vaccinate against classical plague in a veterinary clinic. This will support livestock immunity and increase protection against the virus. The livestock must be kept in a closed area, avoiding free range. Treatment of animals and pig farms from blood-sucking parasites is required at intervals of 2-3 months. If you notice signs of plague, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.
Precautionary measures are also being taken at the state level. There are a number of rules that apply to the import of meat products and live animals, including a ban on imports from countries where outbreaks have been observed.
