Overview of the Baltic and Polish ASF related scientific activities Arvo Viltrop Professor of veterinary epidemiology Estonian University of Life Sciences

Introduction  Information obtained at collaboration seminars in EFSA in autumn 2015 and/or submitted by contact persons  Activities in countries  Collaboration Tallinn

Introduction  In all countries:  Epidemiological analysis of s urveillance and outbreak data on wild boar and domestic pigs  M olecular analysis of strains of the ASF virus Tallinn

Ongoing and planned research in Poland  National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy  ASFV phylogenetic analysis;  ASFV pathogenicity (route/dose/effect, shedding of the virus);  ASFV tropism (further genome sequencing of the virus isolates); 4 Tallinn

ASF RELATED SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES IN LITHUANIA  National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute – scientific opinions and risk assessment of ASF:  Opinion on spreading risk and control measures of African swine fever in Lithuania (2015);  Opinion on spreading factors and prognosis of African swine fever in Lithuania (2016). Tallinn

ASF RELATED SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES IN LITHUANIA  Project for the year 2016 – “Epidemiological analysis, prognosis of spread and risk analysis of African swine fever (ASF)”  Partners: National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.  Financed by the Ministry of Agriculture.  Aim of the project –  to conduct epidemiological analysis of virus spread,  genetic analysis of ASFV found in Lithuania,  prepare recommendations for the risk assessment, epidemiological planning, prevention and control. Tallinn

Ongoing and planned research in Latvia  Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment - "BIOR“  Collection and epidemiological analysis of surveillance data on wild boar and domestic pigs Tallinn

Ongoing and planned research in Estonia  Estonian veterinary and Food laboratory in collaboration with Estonian University of Life Sciences 1.Risk assessments  Economic and epidemiological impact of pre-emtive slaughter of backyard farms  Risk of ASF spread with feedingstaffs  Probable causes of introduction of ASF to domestic pig herds during the 2015 epidemic 2.Molecular epidemiology of ASFV in the region  So far with the help of  EU reference laboratory in Spain - CISA INIA  National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy  Objective – followup of the spread of particular strains – e.g. new subtype - Genotype II Tartu 8 Tallinn

3. An animal experiment with the virus strain isolated from the NE outbreak in Estonia Conducted in FLI Riems, Germany 4. Noninvasive sampling of wild boar by using „bate ropes“  In collaboration with FLI in Germany 5. Role of insect vectors in spread of the infection  Mosquitos and blood sucking flies  Scavengers on carcasses 9 Ongoing and planned research in Estonia Tallinn

5. Role of wild-boar carcasses and environmental contamination in maintaining the virus in WB populations  What is the extent of cannibalism among wild boar?  How long the virus stays infectious in the environment (soil) in the forest? 10 Ongoing and planned research in Estonia Tallinn

Research collaboration between Baltic states and Poland  Under coordination of EFSA:  “Harmonisation of data collection on African swine fever (ASF) virus in Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Poland”  Objectives:  Spatio-temporal analysis  Risk factor analysis  Endemicity  Molecular epidemiology Tallinn

European collaboration  Horizon 2020  Participating in a consortium preparing an application: „African swine fever virus in wild boar and domestic pigs in the EU: An integrated approach from prediction to control“  COST action : ASF stop Tallinn

Thank you! Dr Andrzej Kowalczyk Dr Vidmantas Paulauskas Dr Ieva Rodze Tallinn