Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jul 2021)

Transmission Dynamics of African Swine Fever Virus, South Korea, 2019

  • Dae Sung Yoo,
  • Younjung Kim,
  • Eune Sub Lee,
  • Jun Sik Lim,
  • Seong Keun Hong,
  • Il Seob Lee,
  • Chung Sik Jung,
  • Ha Chung Yoon,
  • Sung Hwan Wee,
  • Dirk U. Pfeiffer,
  • Guillaume Fournié

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2707.204230
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 7
pp. 1909 – 1918

Abstract

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African swine fever (ASF) is a substantial concern for global food production and security. However, lack of epidemiologic data in affected areas has limited the knowledge of the main drivers of ASF virus (ASFV) transmission. To assess the role of vehicle movements and wild boar populations in spreading ASFV to pig farms in South Korea, we combined data generated by ASF surveillance on pig farms and of wild boars with nationwide global positioning system–based tracking data for vehicles involved in farming activities. Vehicle movements from infected premises were associated with a higher probability of ASFV incursion into a farm than was geographic proximity to ASFV-infected wild boar populations. Although ASFV can spill over from infected wild boars into domestic pigs, vehicles played a substantial role in spreading infection between farms, despite rapid on-farm detection and culling. This finding highlights the need for interventions targeting farm-to-farm and wildlife-to-farm interfaces.

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