Virulence-Associated Genes, Pathogenesis and Immunoevasion Mechanisms of African Swine Fever Virus

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 2010

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Interests: classical swine fever (CSF); African swine fever (ASF); porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS); porcine pseudorabies (PPV); porcine circovirus (PCV); emerging viral diseases of swine; vaccines
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Dear Colleagues,

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal viral disease affecting domestic pigs and wild suids, causing significant economic losses worldwide. The causative agent, African swine fever virus (ASFV), is a large, double-stranded DNA virus with a complex genome encoding numerous virulence-associated genes that are critical for viral replication, pathogenesis, and immune evasion.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research and reviews on ASFV virulence, host–pathogen interactions, and immunoevasion mechanisms. Topics of interest include the following:

  • Identification and functional characterization of ASFV virulence-associated genes.
  • Molecular mechanisms of ASFV-induced pathogenesis and tissue tropism.
  • Viral strategies to evade innate and adaptive immune responses.
  • Host factors influencing susceptibility, disease progression, and immune defense.
  • Development of antiviral strategies and vaccine candidates targeting virulence and immune evasion.
  • Advanced methodologies in ASFV genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics related to pathogenicity.

We welcome original research articles, short communications, and comprehensive reviews that provide novel insights into ASFV biology, enhance understanding of virus–host interactions, and contribute to the development of effective control and prevention strategies against African Swine Fever.

Dr. Lihua Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • African swine fever
  • African swine fever virus
  • virulence-associated gene
  • pathogenesis
  • immunoevasion
  • antiviral strategy
  • vaccine

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 1109 KB  
Review
African Swine Fever: Vaccine Advancement and Major Gaps
by Lihua Wang and Jishu Shi
Microorganisms 2026, 14(3), 706; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030706 - 21 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1641
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious and lethal viral disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), poses a severe threat to the global swine industry. Recent outbreaks across Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean are exacerbating the challenge. Current control measures [...] Read more.
African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious and lethal viral disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), poses a severe threat to the global swine industry. Recent outbreaks across Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean are exacerbating the challenge. Current control measures rely mainly on early detection, culling and strict biosecurity practices, underscoring the urgent need for a safe and effective vaccine. Since the mid-1960s, diverse vaccine strategies, including inactivated, subunit, DNA/mRNA, vectored, and live attenuated virus (LAV) vaccines, have been explored. Inactivated vaccines have consistently failed to confer protection due to insufficient functional antigen presentation and weak cellular immune activation. Subunit vaccines targeting single or multiple ASFV antigens have also shown limited success, often failing to induce sterile or long-lasting immunity. Among these approaches, LAV vaccines have demonstrated the greatest promise in eliciting robust and durable immune responses. However, major knowledge gaps remain regarding ASFV biology, ASFV–host interactions, ASFV immune evasion mechanisms, protective and cross-protective immunity, stable cell lines for LAV production, virulence reversion of LAVs, and the lack of harmonized standards for evaluating vaccine safety and efficacy, all of which impede the development of safe and broadly effective ASF vaccines. This narrative review summarizes recent advances in ASF vaccine research and highlights the critical obstacles that must be overcome to achieve successful ASF vaccine development. Full article
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