African Swine Fever (ASF) is a critical swine disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). It primarily infects domestic and wild pigs and is not a zoonotic disease. Because ASFV is highly resilient in the environment and transmits rapidly through blood, feces, contaminated pork products, equipment, and vehicles, it remains a high-priority concern for livestock production and disease surveillance programs worldwide.
To meet the growing demand for African Swine Fever antibody screening, EBS provides the Sentinel African Swine Fever Virus Antibody Rapid Diagnostic Test and the Sentinel African Swine Fever Virus Antibody ELISA Kit. Both assays target the p30 antibody, allowing users to select the ideal format based on their specific needs for on-site rapid screening, laboratory testing, or antibody surveillance programs.
African Swine Fever is caused by ASFV, a large double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Asfivirus genus within the Asfarviridae family. The virus primarily targets swine monocytes and macrophages, frequently triggering severe inflammatory responses and vascular damage. Consequently, classic clinical symptoms are heavily characterized by hemorrhagic lesions.
ASFV is exceptionally resilient in the environment. Beyond direct transmission via blood and feces, it can survive for weeks or even months in swill and frozen meat products. Because of this high stability, effective disease control requires strict biosecurity management across all personnel, transport vehicles, equipment, pork products, and farming facilities.
African Swine Fever primarily infects domestic and wild pigs, as well as wild hosts such as warthogs and bush pigs in African regions. ASF is not a zoonotic disease, and there is no evidence indicating that ASFV infects humans. However, humans frequently facilitate transmission as mechanical vectors through swill feeding, livestock transportation, or by carrying contaminated clothing, footwear, equipment, and soil.
Common transmission routes include：
The incubation period for African Swine Fever is approximately 4 to 19 days, with farms typically experiencing high mortality rates within 10 to 14 days of herd exposure.
On commercial farms, African Swine Fever typically presents as a sudden spike in high fever across the herd, followed by rapid, widespread mortality. Common clinical signs include high fever, lethargy, anorexia, dyspnea, hind-limb weakness, vomiting or diarrhea, and abortions in pregnant sows. Visually, affected pigs characteristically exhibit cyanotic ears and hemorrhagic skin patches on the abdomen.
Common post-mortem lesions：
Among these, a severely enlarged, dark-red spleen is one of the most critical diagnostic characteristics.
First-line diagnosis of African Swine Fever focuses on direct viral DNA detection via PCR/qPCR, with additional methods like ELISA, virus isolation, or rapid tests used for field surveillance.
The EBS product portfolio specializes in ASFV antibody detection, offering rapid tests and ELISA kits tailored to specific laboratory capabilities and on-site testing requirements.
Rapid and reliable serological diagnostic assays play an essential role in the on-site monitoring of African Swine Fever (ASF) within livestock production systems. To evaluate the assay performance, EBS commissioned the Pirbright Institute (a WOAH Reference Laboratory) to conduct evaluation studies using specimens across various infection cycles. Furthermore, this rapid screening product was evaluated by the European Union Reference Laboratory for African Swine Fever (EURL-ASF) in Madrid, where its performance was benchmarked against the EURL-IPT gold standard.
When compared to the Immunoperoxidase Monolayer Assay (IPT) gold standard, the Sentinel ASFV Antibody Rapid Test demonstrates a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 82%. For samples with ASFV antibody titers below 1:5120, the test shows a 78% agreement rate with IPT results, achieving a perfect 100% agreement rate for titers exceeding 1:5120. The assay successfully detects antibodies in positive samples as early as 7 days post-infection. When incorporating negative field samples collected across Taiwan into the statistical cohort, the overall specificity is verified at 96.27% (491/510).
According to the validation data, the Sentinel ASFV Ab ELISA was evaluated using serial end-point dilutions calibrated against the Immunoperoxidase Monolayer Assay (IPT) across various antibody titers, comparing its detection consistency with IPT results. In a challenge-trial study involving 368 samples, IPT identified 297 positive and 71 negative samples. When evaluated with the Sentinel ASFV Ab ELISA, the assay demonstrated a sensitivity of 88.9% (264/297) and a specificity of 100% (71/71).
Additionally, a parallel comparative analysis was conducted between the Sentinel ASFV Ab ELISA and IPT using 380 field serum samples, which were previously confirmed by PCR molecular testing to include 371 ASF-positive and 9 ASF-negative specimens. The results revealed an almost perfect agreement between the Sentinel ASFV Ab ELISA and IPT (Kappa = 0.93), with zero false positives and a specificity of 100%. Synthesizing the data from both the challenge trials and field evaluations, the study demonstrates that the Sentinel ASFV Ab ELISA serves as a highly reliable tool for ASFV antibody detection and epidemiological surveillance.
The Sentinel® African Swine Fever Virus Antibody Rapid Diagnostic Test and the Antibody ELISA Kit both target the p30 antibody, but they are engineered for different application scenarios.
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Product Categories |
Intended Use |
Key Features |
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Rapid Diagnostic Tests |
On-Site Preliminary Screening & Rapid Interpretation Needs |
Rapid operation, ideal for field testing and on-site surveillance. |
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Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kits |
Laboratory Testing, High-Throughput Screening & Antibody Surveillance |
Ideal for laboratory operations and systematic antibody surveillance. |
African Swine Fever (ASF) must be differentiated from other swine diseases, commonly including:
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Diseases |
Pathogen |
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Classical Swine Fever (CSF) |
Classical swine fever virus (RNA Viruses, Flaviviridae) |
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Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) |
PRRS virus (RNA Viruses，Arteriviridae) |
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Porcine Salmonellosis |
Salmonella enterica (Bacteria) |
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Swine Erysipelas |
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (Bacteria) |
One of the primary differences is that ASF exhibits a high mortality rate and presents with pronounced splenomegaly.
African Swine Fever (ASF) diagnostic results must be comprehensively evaluated by integrating multiple factors, including disease pathogenesis, sampling timelines, sample matrix quality, testing methodologies, biosecurity protocols, and specific on-site farming conditions. These diagnostic reagents are strictly intended for use by qualified veterinary and laboratory professionals in accordance with product inserts, standard operating procedures, and practical disease control requirements.
In instances involving farm biosecurity breaches, suspected outbreaks, or notifiable animal diseases, all containment and reporting protocols must strictly adhere to competent regulatory authorities and official veterinary guidelines.
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