The emergence of the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) was first detected in north-eastern Thailand in March 2021. Since then, the abrupt increase of LSD cases was observed throughout the country as outbreaks have spread rapidly to 64 out of a total of 77 provinces within four months. Blood, milk, and nodular skin samples collected from affected animals have been diagnosed by real-time PCR targeting the p32 gene. LSDV was isolated by primary lamb testis (PLT) cells, followed by Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells, and confirmed by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA). Histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of a skin lesion showed inclusion bodies in keratinocytes and skin epithelial cells. Phylogenetic analyses of RPO30 and GPCR genes, and the whole genome revealed that Thai viruses were closely related to the vaccine-derived recombinant LSDV strains found previously in China and Vietnam. Recombination analysis confirmed that the Thai LSDV possesses a mosaic hybrid genome containing the vaccine virus DNA as the backbone and a field strain DNA as the minor donor. This is an inclusive report on the disease distributions, complete diagnoses, and genetic characterisation of LSDV during the first wave of LSD outbreaks in Thailand.

Background: African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal contagious disease affecting both domestic pigs and wild boars. Even though it is a non-zoonotic disease, ASF causes economic loss in swine industries across continents. ASF control and eradication are almost impossible since effective vaccines and direct antiviral treatment are not available. The persistence of ASFV on fomites plays an important role in the indirect transmission of ASFV to pigs encountering ASFV-contaminated fomites. ASFV persistence on porous and non-porous fomites (glass, metal, rubber, and cellulose paper) at different environmental temperatures was determined. The persistence of ASFV of fomites was determined by the rate of ASFV inactivation in terms ofD_T,or the time required to reduce ASFV per 1 log at each selected environmental temperature (T).D_Tis used to compare the persistence of ASFV on the fomites.Results: The meanD₂₅,D₃₃, andD₄₂, of dried infectious ASFV on glass, metal, rubber, and paper were in the ranges 1.42–2.42, 0.72–1.94, and 0.07–0.23 days, respectively. The multipleD_Twere used to develop aD_Tmodel to predict theD_Tfor some other environmental temperatures. TheD_Tmodels to predict the persistence of dried infectious ASFV on glass, metal, rubber, and paper are logD_T = (− T/21.51) + 1.34, logD_T = (− T/20.42) + 1.47, logD_T = (− T/14.91) + 2.03, and logD_T = (− T/10.91) + 2.84, respectively. A spreadsheet as a quick and handy tool predicting the persistence time of dried infectious ASFV on fomites at various environmental temperatures based on theseD_Tmodels is available for public to download.Conclusion: Persistence of dried infectious ASFV on paper are significantly the longest at lower environmental temperatures whereas that of dried infectious ASFV on paper is significantly the shortest at higher environmental temperature.

The indirect transmission of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) is through contaminated fomite, feed ingredients, pork- and pig-derived products, including swill, as ASFV is highly stable within suitable organic material. Some previous studies have indicated that ASFV outbreaks were associated with swill feeding, particularly in smallholder pig farms. These outbreaks emphasize the significance of the appropriate heat treatment of swill to eliminate ASFV residual titer. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recommended the heat treatment of swill at a temperature of at least 90°C for at least 60 min, with continuous stirring, while the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended heat treatment at 70°C for 30 min. The lack of scientific evidence regarding ASFV inactivation by heat treatment of swill leads to such inconsistent recommendations. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess the thermal inactivation of ASFV in three swill formulae and to develop a D_T model to predict D_T at some other inactivation temperatures. The significant reduction of ASFV in swill occurred at temperatures as low as 60°C. D_T or decimal reduction time (DRT) is defined as the time required to reduce the virus titer by 1 log, and this was also used as a comparative index of heat resistance. The mean D₆₀, D₇₀, D₇₅, and D₈₀ of ASFV in three swill formulae were in the ranges 23.21–33.47, 5.83–10.91, 2.15–2.22, and 1.36–1.47 min, respectively. These D_T could be widely used for any nutritive composition of swill other than the three swill formulae in this study since there was no statistical difference of all D_T of ASFV across three swill formulae. Based on D₇₀ and the predicted D₉₀ from the D_T model in this study, including the highest ASFV titer in pork products, the calculated inactivation times at 70 and 90°C were 119 and 4 min, respectively.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a lethal contagious hemorrhagic viral disease affecting the swine population. The causative agent is African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV). There is no treatment or commercial vaccine available at present. This virus poses a significant threat to the global swine industry and economy, with 100% mortality rate in acute cases. ASFV transmission occurs through both direct and indirect contact, with control measures limited to early detection, isolation, and culling of infected pigs. ASFV exhibits a complex genomic structure and encodes for more than 50 structural and 100 non-structural proteins and has 150 to 167 open reading frames (ORFs). While many of the proteins are non-essential for viral replication, they play crucial roles in mediating with the host to ensure longevity and transmission of virus in the host. The dynamic nature of ASFV research necessitates constant updates, with ongoing exploration of various genes and their functions, vaccine development, and other ASF-related domains. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the structural and functional roles of both newly discovered and previously recorded genes involved in distinct stages of ASFV infection and immunomodulation. Additionally, the review discusses the virulence genes and genes with unknown functions, and proposes future interventions.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) was firstly reported in Thailand in 2021 which affected the cattle industry. However, there is limited information on the immune response of LSDV infection in Thailand where recombinant vaccine strain circulated. The aim of this research was to study the duration of LSD immune response of subclinical and clinical animals after natural infection in dairy cattle. Sixty-six dairy cattle from ten farms in central and western regions of Thailand were investigated. Antibody was detected by virus neutralization test and ELISA. Cell mediated immunity (CMI)-related cytokine gene expressions were evaluated. Antibody was detected until at least 15 months after the noticeable symptom. Cattle with subclinical disease had lower antibody levels compared to animals which had clinical disease. IFN-γ and TNF-α levels were increased, while IL-10 level was decreased in the infected animals compared to the controls. This study elucidated immune responses in dairy cattle herd affected by recombinant LSDV.