African swine fever (ASF) in Poland has been a major concern for pig production for the last seven years. The main constrains in ASF eradication in Poland are due to the high density of wild boar in ASF-affected areas of the country. Other factors, responsible for long-distance ASF spread to new regions of the country, are mainly related to human-mediated activity and lack of awareness of the potential disease threat to pig production. In the case of pig holdings, the only effective measure of ASF prevention is strict implementation of biosecurity rules. Despite many efforts to implement these measures, the disease occurred in a number of voivodeships, poviats and counties of Poland, primarily in eastern Poland; however, starting from 2019, also in the western part of the country. Further recommendations to eradicate ASF in Poland or at least to minimize the economic loss caused by ASF in pig production include effective wild boar population management strategies along with the implementation of strict biosecurity measures. The observations from the last seven years of ASF epizootic in Poland clearly indicate that the disease could not have been effectively controlled in wild boar population and could only be restricted in domestic pig population following severe biosecurity rules. As for ASF spread control in wild boar population, the measures applied in other EU countries include active wild boar carcass search and disposal along with sanitary and reduction hunting. These measures have also been shown non-effective. The only solution for future sustainable pig production in Poland seems to be strict collaboration between pig producers, veterinary inspection, and hunting associations.

(1) Background: African swine fever (ASF) has been present in Ukraine for more than ten years (2012–2022). The purpose of our study was to perform a retrospective analysis of the spread of ASF to assess the role of wild boar in the epizootic expansion in Ukraine. (2) Methods: Statistical materials were collected and the epizootic situation of ASF from 2012 to 2022 was examined. The potential sources of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) and transmission factors were analysed. The main factors exerting negative impacts on domestic pig production were also analysed. (3) Results: Consequently, from the results of the retrospective analysis of ASF outbreaks in Ukraine, the probability ratio of ASF outbreaks in the wild boar and domestic pig populations was determined. The data show a direct relationship between ASF outbreaks among wild boar and domestic pigs with the observed decay of wild boar outbreaks across the entire territory of Ukraine. At the same time, an increase in the number of wild boars has been observed in the Mykolaiv region, with a parallel spillover of outbreaks in domestic pigs. (4) Conclusions: The epidemiological situation observed for ASF in the wild boar population may suggest an endemic form of the disease. This may further complicate eradication programs and the protection of domestic pig farms from ASF outbreaks. An additional and major reason to control the ASF epizootic is the continuing military Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is qualified to be applied in the field to detect pathogens due to its simplicity, rapidity and cost saving. However, the color changes in currently reported visual reverse transcription LAMP (RT-LAMP) for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) detection are not so obvious to the naked eye, so interpretation of results is troublesome. In this study, a new naked-eye visual RT-LAMP to detect all seven distinct serotypes of FMDV was established based on the 3D genes by using pH-sensitive neutral red as the indicator, rendering a sharp contrast of color changes between the negative (light orange) and the positive (pink). Analytical sensitivity tests showed that the detection limit of the visual RT-LAMP was 10⁴ copies/µL while those were 10³ and 10⁴ copies/µL for the RT-qPCR and conventional RT-PCR methods, respectively. Specificity tests proved that the established visual RT-LAMP assay had no cross-reactivity with other common livestock viruses. Furthermore, the analysis of 59 clinical samples showed 98.31% and 100% concordance with the RT-qPCR and the RT-PCR, respectively. The pan-serotypic FMD visual RT-LAMP assay could be suitable for a pen-side test of all seven serotypes of FMDV because the results could be easily distinguished by the naked eye without the requirement of complicated instruments and professional technicians. Hence, the novel method may have a promising prospect in field tests which exert an important role in monitoring, preventing, and controlling FMD, especially in regions with no PCR or qPCR instrument available.