Efficient inactivation of African swine fever virus by a highly complexed iodine

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal contagious disease of swine caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV). Cleaning and disinfection remain one of the most effective tools to prevent the ASFV spread in pig holdings. This study evaluated the inactivation effect of a highly complexed iodine (HPCI) disinfectant against ASFV. A commercially available povidone-iodine (PVP-I) was used as reference for comparison. The results showed that 5% HPCI and 5% PVP-I did not exhibit cytotoxicity in primary porcine alveolar macrophages, and 10^7.0 and 10^5.0 TCID₅₀/mL ASFV were completely inactivated by 5% and 0.25% HPCI, respectively, in 5 min via either immersion or spray disinfection. However, 5% PVP-I required at least 15 min to completely inactivate 10^7.0 TCID₅₀/mL ASFV, whereas 0.25% PVP-I failed to completely inactivate 10^5.0 TCID₅₀/mL ASFV. This study demonstrated that HPCI could rapidly and efficiently inactivate ASFV, representing an effective disinfectant for ASF control.