African swine fever (ASF) has reached pandemic proportions in 2018, being now present in all continents except for America and Oceania. The fatal viral disease was endemic in several African countries and in the Italian island of Sardinia, where it has remained confined for more than 30 years. The disease was detected in Eastern Europe in 2007 and since then spread westwards, reaching the European Union in 2014. Up to 9 EU countries have so far detected ASF. Several epidemiological scenarios are observed. There is a need to better understand the evolution of ASF in Europe, the dynamics of the disease in wild boar and the key for successful interventions that have contributed to mitigating ASF impact. In August 2018 ASF was detected in China, the largest world’s pork producer, where it has already spread between areas more than one thousand kilometers apart within the country, increasing the overall threat of worldwide spread. A commercial vaccine to control ASF is not yet available, and researchers are under pressure to obtain cost-effective, safe and efficient vaccines for the different epidemiological scenarios. Other gaps to explain the current challenges is ASF control concern the areas of molecular epidemiology, environmental modeling, transmission, pathology, wild boar-domestic pig interaction, socio-economic impact, prevention, diagnosis, and surveillance. We welcome the submission of original manuscripts, case-reports or reviews intended to elucidate the pathogenesis and epidemiology of ASF, including, for example, experimental studies, field reports of outbreaks and epidemics, risk assessments, modeling exercises, or discussions on national and international regulations and policy applied to ASF. We expect that the articles published in this Research Topic will enhance our ability to control and prevent ASF outbreaks in swine, ultimately contributing to the resilience and sustainability of the swine industry worldwide.
African swine fever (ASF) has reached pandemic proportions in 2018, being now present in all continents except for America and Oceania. The fatal viral disease was endemic in several African countries and in the Italian island of Sardinia, where it has remained confined for more than 30 years. The disease was detected in Eastern Europe in 2007 and since then spread westwards, reaching the European Union in 2014. Up to 9 EU countries have so far detected ASF. Several epidemiological scenarios are observed. There is a need to better understand the evolution of ASF in Europe, the dynamics of the disease in wild boar and the key for successful interventions that have contributed to mitigating ASF impact. In August 2018 ASF was detected in China, the largest world’s pork producer, where it has already spread between areas more than one thousand kilometers apart within the country, increasing the overall threat of worldwide spread. A commercial vaccine to control ASF is not yet available, and researchers are under pressure to obtain cost-effective, safe and efficient vaccines for the different epidemiological scenarios. Other gaps to explain the current challenges is ASF control concern the areas of molecular epidemiology, environmental modeling, transmission, pathology, wild boar-domestic pig interaction, socio-economic impact, prevention, diagnosis, and surveillance. We welcome the submission of original manuscripts, case-reports or reviews intended to elucidate the pathogenesis and epidemiology of ASF, including, for example, experimental studies, field reports of outbreaks and epidemics, risk assessments, modeling exercises, or discussions on national and international regulations and policy applied to ASF. We expect that the articles published in this Research Topic will enhance our ability to control and prevent ASF outbreaks in swine, ultimately contributing to the resilience and sustainability of the swine industry worldwide.