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Endemic Circulation of Cluster 19 African Swine Fever Virus in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
by
, , , , , and
Dimitrije Glišić
1,*,†
,
Šejla Goletić Imamović
2,†,
Sofija Šolaja
1,
Ilma Terzić
2,
Ajla Hodžić Borić
2,
Teufik Goletić
2
and
Vesna Milicevic
1
1
Department of Virology, Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, Janisa Janulisa 14, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
2
Veterinary Faculty, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(11), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12111086
Submission received: 30 September 2025
/
Revised: 10 November 2025
/
Accepted: 13 November 2025
/
Published: 14 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Crossroads: The Interface Between Wildlife and Domestic Animal Health)
Simple Summary
African swine fever is a deadly viral disease of pigs and wild boar that causes major losses for farmers and threatens food security. The disease does not affect people, but its rapid spread and high fatality in pigs make it one of the most serious challenges for animal health in Europe. Since 2019, the disease has been present in Serbia, and in 2023, it was first reported in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this study, we examined virus samples collected from pigs and wild boar during outbreaks between 2023 and 2025 to better understand how the virus is spreading in the region. By looking at several important parts of the virus genome, we found that all the samples belonged to the same group, known as cluster 19. This shows that the same type of virus has been circulating for several years without major changes. The results suggest that the disease is being maintained locally, mainly through contact between wild boar and pigs kept on small farms with little or no protection. The discovery of the same virus type in Bosnia and Herzegovina highlights that the disease crosses borders, making regional cooperation and continued monitoring essential for controlling its spread.
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly fatal viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar that continues to threaten pig production across Europe. Genotype II African swine fever virus (ASFV) has been present in Serbia since 2019 and was first confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2023, yet recent genetic data from the region have been lacking. This study aimed to update the genetic characterization of ASFV strains circulating in Serbia between 2023 and 2025 and to provide the first sequence data from Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 110 isolates were analyzed by partial sequencing of seven genomic regions recommended by the European Union Reference Laboratory. Good-quality sequences were obtained for at least two loci per isolate. All isolates belonged to genotype II and were classified as CVR variant I, IGR-II, O174L-I, MGF I, K145R-I, and ECO2-II, corresponding to cluster 19. No novel genetic changes were identified in the sequenced fragments. These findings indicate the stable, endemic circulation of cluster 19 in both domestic pigs and wild boar, maintained through ecological and human-mediated transmission at the wildlife–livestock interface. The detection of cluster 19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina underscores transboundary spread and highlights the need for continued molecular surveillance and regional cooperation.
