ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: African swine fever (ASF) has become one of the most devastating transboundary diseases affecting domestic pigs and wild boar, causing severe economic losses, disruption of international trade, and threatening global food security. This review summarizes current evidence on the global epidemiology, transmission dynamics, viral evolution, and control strategies of African swine fever virus (ASFV) from published scientific literature and recent international reports. The historical spread of ASF from Africa to Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean is discussed, together with recent changes in global disease patterns. The review highlights the increasing importance of wild boar populations as long-term reservoirs of infection, while emphasizing that human-mediated movement of infected animals and contaminated pork products remains the principal driver of long-distance transmission. Current knowledge on ASFV evolution is examined, including the worldwide dominance of genotype II and the recent emergence of genotype I/II recombinant and vaccine-like strains that may complicate surveillance and vaccine effectiveness. Existing control measures, including biosecurity, movement restrictions, surveillance, culling, wild boar management, and vaccination, are critically evaluated. Experiences from different countries demonstrate that rigorous biosecurity and early detection remain the most effective tools for preventing disease spread, whereas successful long-term control requires strategies tailored to regional epidemiological conditions. Recent progress in live-attenuated vaccine development offers encouraging prospects, although concerns regarding safety, cross-protection, differential diagnosis, and viral evolution remain unresolved. The review also discusses advances in molecular epidemiology, whole-genome sequencing, artificial intelligence-assisted surveillance, and predictive modeling as promising tools for strengthening future preparedness. Despite encouraging reductions in domestic pig outbreaks in several regions, the continued circulation of ASFV in wild boar populations and the emergence of novel viral variants indicate that global eradication remains a major challenge. A comprehensive One Health approach integrating wildlife management, enhanced biosecurity, genomic surveillance, responsible vaccine deployment, and international collaboration will be essential for reducing the long-term impact of ASF and safeguarding sustainable pig production worldwide.

Keywords: African swine fever, biosecurity, disease control, epidemiology, One Health, surveillance, transmission dynamics, viral evolution.