Japanese scientists have developed a unique tool for ASF research

Scientists at the National Food and Agriculture Organization of Japan have achieved an important breakthrough in the study of African swine fever (ASF). They developed a unique cell line of macrophages obtained from the blood of a tufted pig - a natural carrier of the ASFV virus. PigUA writes about it. This species of wild pigs, common in Africa, interested researchers due to a unique feature: despite the natural carrier of the virus, the infection in them is asymptomatic, unlike domestic pigs and wild boars, which quickly die from ASF. The developed RZJ/IBM cell line showed significantly weaker viral replication than the previous IPKM cell line derived from porcine kidney macrophages. This discovery allows researchers to conduct a comparative analysis and identify mechanisms that provide natural protection of African pigs against ASF. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, opens new horizons in the fight against ...