1.African swine fever in backyard pigs of Sabah state, East Malaysia, 2021
Khoo, C.K. ; Norlina, D. ; Roshaslinda, D. ; Siti Suraya Hani, M.S. ; Zunaida, B. ; Mohd Hasrul, A.H. ; Pauzi, N.A.S. ; Roslina, H. ; Faizah Hanim, M.S. ; Leow, B.L.
Tropical Biomedicine 2021;38(No.4):499-504
African swine fever (ASF) is a transboundary haemorrhagic viral disease that affected domestic
and wild pigs of all ages. The disease is caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV) and was
introduced to China in 2018 before spreading rapidly to neighbouring Asian countries. As
such, putting countries free from ASF like Malaysia at risk. ASF is highly lethal with no
vaccine or treatment available. In February 2021, we confirmed backyard pigs from various
locations in Sabah were infected with ASF using real time polymerase chain reaction (realtime
PCR). Further characterization of the Sabah ASFVs indicated that they were of p72 genotype
II with intergenic region (IGR) variant II that displayed an addition tandem repeat sequence
(TRS) insertion, similar to ASFV from Indonesia, Vietnam and China. These results indicate
and support the transboundary expansion of a homogenotypic ASFV (p72 genotype II and IGR
variant II) in the Europe and Asia-Pacific, emphasizing the need for a holistic international
collaboration in control and preventing further spreading of the current ASF pandemic.
Importantly, our results informed the first detection and characterization of ASF, a disease
previously not detected in Malaysia. This information is crucial for further mitigation and
preventive measures.
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