Research conducted at Kansas State University has confirmed soybean products as among the highest risk feed ingredients for the transmission of African Swine Fever.
The journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases outlines research conducted at Kansas State University's high containment biosecurity research institute that looked at how long African Swine Fever virus remains stable in stored feeds.
The study looked at the longevity of the ASF viral DNA and the ASF viral infectivity in complete feed, soybean meal and ground corncob particles stored at 40, 68 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Swine Health Information Center Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says the virus was most stable in soybean meal.
Clip-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:
This study confirms that soybean meal provides a stabilizing matrix that increases the stability of ASF.
We know that soybean meal and other soybean products are likely some of the highest risk feed ingredients and so, if we want to focus our attention to the highest risk ingredients, we should be looking at soybean products, the volume of imports to the United States, the volume of imports from ASF positive countries versus ASF negative countries and where there are opportunities to reduce our risk.
The other aspect of this that I think is important to highlight is that corncob particles when ground up and contaminated with ASF did not stabilize the virus.
We can't focus our attention on reducing risk in every single feed ingredient.
We want to focus on the higher risk ingredients.
The lower risk ingredients are also important to identify and, in this case, the corncob particles seemed to be a lower risk ingredient.
Dr. Niederwerder notes the article has been published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases and additional information is available on the Swine Health Information Center website at swinehealth.org.
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Bruce Cochrane.
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