African swine fever in Serbia: Five years of experience of disease control in domestic pig cycle

Abstract

African swine fever (ASF) is currently the most important viral infectious disease affecting domestic pig production and wild boars population worldwide. The first case of ASF in Serbia was confirmed in 2019 in a backyards domestic pig population. Since then, numerous outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar have been reported throughout the country despite the efforts of the veterinary authorities to control the disease. The only currently available option to prevent ASF infections is the application of biosecurity measures in the overall pig production system. However, in the prevailing extensive smallholder and backyards farming systems, farm biosecurity is largely non-existent. The aim of this review was to present the results from Serbia from the period of five years i.e. from the detection of first ASF outbreak until today. Moreover, the control measures and the main risk factors for ASF spreading and transmission at the domestic/wild boar interface, biosecurity practices in different production systems, and possible future control measures are discussed. The most important gaps in biosecurity measures related to the human activities recognised as social and cultural identity in Serbia were studied in the period 2019-2022. The identified relevant biosecurity measures as well as risk factors need to be strictly addressed in order to prevent further ASF spread in Serbian pig production sector.