title: Infection of pigs with the Cameroon isolate (Cam/82) of African swine fever virus.
abstract: African swine fever (ASF) was produced in eight pigs by exposure to donors infected with the Cameroon/82 isolate of African swine fever virus. The primary clinical sign was pyrexia of more than 40 degrees C first observed 10 to 13 days post-exposure (dpe) in all pigs; other clinical signs were rarely observed. The most frequent post-mortem lesion was haemorrhage in the visceral lymph nodes. Other lesions included excess fluid in the abdominal cavity and petechial haemorrhages in the kidneys. Viraemia was first observed 1 to 2 days before the onset of pyrexia and maximal titres of more than 10(7.5) HAD50 per ml occurred 11 to 14 dpe. Virus excretion by the pharyngeal route was observed at 2 to 4 days before the onset of pyrexia and continued throughout the course of infection. Susceptible pigs, mixed directly with infected ones, contracted infection within 2 h; transmission time increased to 2 to 6 h when recipient pigs were separated by wire mesh from the infected pigs. The comparatively low mortality, ill-defined clinical signs and clinical recovery of many of the infected pigs show that the Cam/82 ASF virus is of relatively low virulence and thereby resembles recent European, South American and Caribbean isolates.
authors.affiliation: C. R. Z., Wakwa, B.P. 65, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Ekue
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wardley
mesh_terms: D000357:African Swine Fever / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D000358:African Swine Fever Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D002163:Cameroon; D005334:Fever / Q000662:veterinary; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000662:veterinary; D007497:Iridoviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D013552:Swine; D014766:Viremia / Q000662:veterinary; D014774:Virulence