Researchers sequenced the complete genome of the virus from blood and tissue samples of infected wild boars. When compared with other German variants — in particular, from the states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, as well as Saxony, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — significant genetic differences were found.
This indicates that the virus in North Rhine-Westphalia has a different source of origin than previous cases in western and eastern Germany, where the same strain spread locally.
The greatest similarity of the new virus variant was found when compared with ASF pathogen genomes registered in southern Italy, particularly in the Calabria region. These Italian variants have characteristic genetic mutations that are also present in samples from North Rhine-Westphalia. It is these specific changes that clearly distinguish the new virus from other known ASF strains in Europe.
This development indicates a new route of introduction of the virus — via an external source rather than spread from existing ASF foci in Germany. This poses additional challenges for epizootic control, as it requires increased monitoring of cross-border movements of wild animals and biosecurity in the region.
The discovery of a new genetic variant of ASF also reinforces the need for international cooperation, particularly with Italy, to track potential routes of virus spread.
PigUA.info based on materials from fli.de