Published by
Modern approaches to development of
Vaccines for African swine fever control
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
The challenge
African swine fever (ASF) is rapidly lethal to domestic pigs and
is caused by a large double-stranded DNA virus (ASFV) with a
reservoir in African wild pigs and soft ticks. The disease deters
Africa’s smallholder farmers from investing in the rapidly
increasing and profitable pig-keeping sector in areas where
the disease is endemic and also poses a major threat to the
US$150 billion global pig farming industry.
The export of the virus to Georgia in 2007 and its subsequent
rapid spread to Russia, Ukraine and most recently Eastern
Europe, provides a dramatic illustration of the reality of this
threat. Currently, the only means of ASF disease control is test
and slaughter, which is economically wasteful and impractical
in Africa’s endemic areas due to the lack of government compensation mechanisms. The project is seeking to progress the
development of the first usable vaccines for ASFV.
Our approach
Project name
Commissioned Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenby
arbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Project region
developing a novel approach known as synthetic virus
engineering (SAVE) to create live attenuated vaccines;

creating experimental attenuated viruses through the
deletion of specific virulence genes;
Kenya
Lead executing International Livestock Research Institute Conagency
tact person: Richard Bishop [email protected]
German cooperation
Friedrich Loffler Institute (FLI), Riems
Duration
06.2013 – 05.2016

The project is using a range of approaches for developing both
live attenuated and second-generation recombinant vaccines
for ASFV control. This involves:

Modern approaches to development of vaccines for
African swine fever control

identifying antigens for inclusion in recombinant vaccines by:
a) screening synthetic gene libraries with T cells isolated
from experimentally infected pigs,
b) measuring the binding of virus peptides to class I major histocompatibility antigens (SLA) in pigs that have
been classified by their DNA sequences;
measuring immune responses induced in pigs that are
naturally and experimentally infected with ASFV.
L. to r.: African free range pig production
system; ASF vaccine target population one,
Semi-intensive housed pig production
system; ASF vaccine target population two,
Mortality due to ASF virus infection in a
naive pig herd
Photos: © ILRI
Contact person
Marlis Lindecke
[email protected]
The benefits
Expected impact
In the short-term
The ultimate goals are:
(a) higher and more secure incomes, especially for small- and
medium-scale actors in pig value chains in ASF endemic areas;
(b) increased availability of more affordable pork for African
consumers;
(c) reduced risk of ASF to the global pig industry.
(a) Increased knowledge is gained about the immune
responses that protect pigs against ASFV infection.
(b) Candidate vaccines developed through the SAVE
approach are evaluated.
(c) Viral genes that can be used for developing secondgeneration recombinant vaccines are identified.
The development and use of an ASF vaccine will contribute to
achieving these goals.
(d) Increased human capacity is developed in Kenya for researching ASF and a graduate student from the Kenya Department of Veterinary Services is directly involved in
the project.
The Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for De-
The project benefits outlined above are positioned towards
the discovery end of the research-development continuum.
They will be crucial for achieving the ultimate project goal of
developing the first vaccine for the control of African swine
fever. It is envisaged that vaccine manufacturer(s) will be able
to translate research outputs into viable vaccine(s) that will be
made available to and affordable for smallholder pig keepers
in Africa.
Published by
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Registered offices
Bonn and Eschborn, Germany
Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for
Development
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5
65760 Eschborn, Germany
T +49 61 96 79-2149
F +49 61 96 79-11 15
[email protected]
www.giz.de
Author(s)
Richard Bishop
Layout
Nizar Omrani
As at
July 2014
GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication.
velopment (BEAF) manages Germany’s contribution to international agricultural research. Instruments for implementation are project funding, small grants and liaising between
German and international researchers. BEAF is part of GIZ
and acts on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
In cooperation with
University of Copenhagen (UC), Technical University of
Denmark (TU), Denmark; Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries,
Kenya
On behalf of
Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Division
Special Unit “One World - No Hunger”
Addresses of
the BMZ offices
BMZ Bonn
Dahlmannstraße 4
53113 Bonn, Germany
T +49 (0)228 99 535-0
F +49 (0)228 99 535-3500
[email protected]
www.bmz.de
BMZ Berlin
Stresemannstraße 94
10963 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (0)30 18 535-0
F +49 (0)30 18 535-2501