Multiepitope array as the key for African Swine Fever diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Bioinformatics
• Immunology

Background:

• African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease in suids, causing significant economic losses.
• Current diagnostic methods for African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) are often impractical for rapid, on-farm screening.
• There is a critical need for accessible and accurate diagnostic tools for effective ASF management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify potential biomarkers for developing innovative rapid diagnostic tests for ASFV.
• To computationally predict epitopes from major ASFV structural proteins.
• To enhance the accuracy and versatility of in-field ASF screening.

Main Methods:

• Retrieved ASFV structural protein sequences from public databases.
• Computed the three-dimensional structures of selected ASFV proteins.
• Utilized independent bioinformatic tools for epitope prediction from linear and 3D protein structures.

Main Results:

• Identified a list of candidate ASFV epitopes with potential for antibody elicitation.
• These predicted epitopes are suitable for unbiased, rapid in-field diagnosis.
• The findings support the development of versatile and accurate diagnostic assays.

Conclusions:

• The predicted ASFV epitopes can be employed in diagnostic panels for improved in-field monitoring.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing global ASF surveillance and control programs.
• Implementation of these diagnostics can aid in mitigating the impact of African Swine Fever.