African swine fever: advances and challenges

African swine fever (ASF) has become a major focus of research after spreading to four continents besides Africa. In its natural African ecosystem, the causative ASF virus (ASFV) is maintained by indigenous Suidae as natural reservoirs and hard tick vectors. However, in Sus scrofa domesticated breeds and wild boar, ASFV causes devastating disease, with mortalities reaching over 90%. This shift in geographical spread and hosts, and the resulting major impact on pig farming in some of the most productive pig producing regions, has resulted in drastically increased efforts to control and eventually prevent ASF. This article briefly reviews recent advances in understanding of ASFV molecular biology, epizootiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis to provide a state-of-the-art picture while also identifying challenges ahead.