Transovarial transmission of African swine fever virus in the argasid tick Ornithodoros moubata

Ornithodoros soft ticks are the only known vector and reservoir of the African swine fever virus, a major lethal infectious disease of Suidae. The co-feeding event for virus transmission and maintenance among soft tick populations has been poorly documented. We infected Ornithodoros moubata, a known tick vector in Africa, with an African swine fever virus strain originated in Africa, to test its ability to infect O. moubata through co-feeding on domestic pigs. In our experimental conditions, tick-to-tick virus transmission through co-feeding failed, although pigs became infected through the infectious tick bite.

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Isolation of African swine fever virus from ticks of the Ornithodoros moubata complex (Ixodoidea: Argasidae) collected within the African swine fever enzootic area of Malawi

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268800029332 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 101 (1) ◽

pp. 173-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

J. M. Haresnape ◽

P. J. Wilkinson ◽

P. S. Mellor

Keyword(s):

African Swine Fever Virus ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

High Titre ◽

Fever Virus ◽

Domestic Pig ◽

Potential Vector ◽

Ornithodoros Moubata ◽

Field Situation ◽

Enzootic Area ◽

Made In

SUMMARYTicks of the Ornithodoros moubata complex were collectedfrom domestic pig sties and dwelling houses, and from a warthog habitat, and tested for the presence of African swine fever (ASF) virus. Collections were made in 9 of the 24 districts of Malawi, these being primarily the districts in which O. moubata is most numerous. ASF virus was isolated from ticks collected in both domestic pig sties and houses in certain villages in Mchinji district where ASF outbreaks had recently occurred. Mchinji district is in the centre of a large ASF enzootic area which stretches into other districts of Malawi and also into Zambia and Mozambique. The high titre of virus in some of the ticks demonstrates that O. moubata can act as a virus reservoir and potential vector of disease in the field situation in Malawi.

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Updated distribution and host records for the argasid tick Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) zumpti: A potential vector of African swine fever virus in South Africa

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v88i1.1960 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 88 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anthony F. Craig ◽

Livio Heath ◽

Jan E. Crafford ◽

Juergen A. Richt ◽

Robert Swanepoel

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

African Swine Fever Virus ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

Fever Virus ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

The South ◽

Domestic Pigs ◽

The North ◽

Argasid Tick ◽

First Time

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a lethal and contagious disease of domestic pigs. In South Africa, the virus historically circulated in warthogs and ornithodorid ticks that were only found in warthog burrows in the north of the country. Regulations implemented in 1935 to prevent transfer of infected animals or products to the south initially proved effective but from 2016 there have been outbreaks of disease in the south that cannot be traced to transfer of infection from the north. From 1963 there were widespread translocations of warthogs to the south, initially from a source considered to be free of ornithodorid ticks. We undertook to determine whether sylvatic circulation of ASFV occurs in the south, including identification of potential new vectors, through testing extralimital warthogs for antibody and ticks for virus. Results of testing warthogs for antibody and other species of ticks for virus will be presented separately. Here we report finding Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) zumpti ticks in warthog burrows for the first time. This occurred in the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) in 2019. Since African swine fever was recognised in the ECP for the first time in 2020 and outbreaks of the disease in domestic pigs continue to occur there, priority should be given to determining the distribution range and vector potential of O. (P.) zumpti for ASFV.

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