What Are the Early Symptoms of African Swine Fever? Pig Farmers Should Detect and Prevent It Early

Everyone knows that African swine fever is an acute, hemorrhagic, and virulent infectious disease. Once African swine fever appears on a farm, the losses are very large. So what are the early symptoms of African swine fever?

1. Early Symptoms of African Swine Fever

1. Body temperature rises to 41°C, lasting for about 4 days, and only begins to drop 48 hours before death;

2. The pig's appetite decreases, or it even has no appetite, and it appears very weak;

3. The pig no longer walks around and lies in a corner. If forced to walk, it shows extreme fatigue, coughing, difficulty breathing, and other signs;

4. Obvious purple spots appear on the pig's abdomen, armpits, ears, nose, tail, and other parts.

2. What Is the Pathogenesis of African Swine Fever?

African swine fever is caused by the African swine fever virus (abbreviated as ASFV). ASFV can enter the pig's body through the mouth and upper respiratory system, and then infection occurs in the nasopharynx and tonsils.

After ASFV infects the pig's nasopharynx and tonsils, the virus quickly spreads to the submandibular lymph nodes, and then spreads throughout the body through the lymph and blood.

The incidence rate of African swine fever is generally between 40% and 85%. The mortality rate varies depending on the strain of the infection. If it is a highly pathogenic strain, the mortality rate is as high as 90-100%.

3. Will Eating Pork from Pigs with African Swine Fever Be Fatal?

Because the African swine fever virus actually only infects pigs and not humans, the virus does not have a direct effect on the human body, and research also indicates that it is unlikely to mutate and infect humans. Therefore, as long as pork from pigs with African swine fever is cooked at high temperatures, eating it will not be fatal. However, because it comes from sick pigs, it is still better not to eat it.