Emergence and Prevalence of an African Swine Fever Virus Variant in Wild Boar Populations in South Korea from 2019 to 2022
Garam Kim,
So-Jeong Kim,
Won-Jun Kim,
Jung-Hyeuk Kim,
Ji-Chul Kim,
Sang-Geon Lee,
Eun-Sol Kim,
Sang-Hyun Lee,
Weon-Hwa Jheong
Affiliations
Garam Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
So-Jeong Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Won-Jun Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Jung-Hyeuk Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Ji-Chul Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Sang-Geon Lee
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Eun-Sol Kim
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Sang-Hyun Lee
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
Weon-Hwa Jheong
Wildlife Disease Response Team, National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention (NIWDC), 1 Songam-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 62407, Republic of Korea
African swine fever (ASF), a viral disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), is associated with high mortality rates in domestic pigs and wild boars. ASF has been spreading since its discovery in wild boars in Korea in October 2019. Genomic analyses have provided insights into the genetic diversity of the ASFV isolated from various regions, enabling a better understanding of the virus origin and transmission patterns. We conducted a genome analysis to evaluate the diversity and mutations of ASFV spreading among wild boars in Korea during 2019–2022. We compared the genomes of ASFV strains isolated from Korean wild boars and publicly available ASFV genomes. Genomic analysis revealed several single-nucleotide polymorphisms within multigene families (MGFs) 360-1La and 360-4L in Korean ASFV. MGF 360-1La and 360-4L variations were not observed in other ASFV strains, including those of genotype II. Finally, we partially analyzed MGFs 360-1La and 360-4L in ASFV-positive samples between 2019 and 2022, confirming the geographical distribution of the variants. Our findings can help identify new genetic markers for epidemiological ASFV analysis and provide essential information for effective disease management.
