Adaptation of African Swine Fever Virus in Cell Lines and Vaccine Trial.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most devastating viral diseases affecting pigs, as it is highly contagious and has a morbidity and mortality rate of up to 100%. The disease was first identified in Africa in 1921, spread to Europe in 1957, and reached Asia in 2010. ASF outbreaks in Indonesia were declared in 2019, starting in Sumatra and later occurring in Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, and Timor-Leste. Currently, there is no reliable vaccine available to combat ASF. Control measures rely primarily on early detection, education, and strict sanitation. However, the rapid spread of the disease clearly shows that these measures are insufficient to control the current pandemic situation, highlighting the urgent need for the development of an effective vaccine. ASF is caused by the ASF virus (ASFV), which belongs to the Asfarviridae family. It has a double-stranded DNA genome and is highly stable under extreme environmental conditions. The lack of an optimal vaccine is mainly due to the virus’s complexity and the technical challenges of developing one. Existing vaccines include live attenuated viruses and molecular-based vaccines derived from ASFV components. The use of live viruses carries a risk, as they may revert to a virulent form (persistent viremia). Meanwhile, molecular vaccines such as recombinant proteins and DNA vaccines have yet to prove effective—likely because they do not include all the viral proteins needed to produce a synergistic protective response. In preliminary studies, target cells for ASFV have been successfully cultured, and the virus itself has been isolated and characterized, though in vivo testing has not yet been conducted. The current research aims to develop and conduct initial in vivo testing of an ASF vaccine. This study will be carried out at the Denpasar Veterinary Investigation Center (Balai Besar Veteriner Denpasar) in collaboration with research partners.