ICAR develops indigenous vaccine for African swine fever
Scientists at the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal, developed India's first indigenous live attenuated vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF).
The vaccine was created using a novel attenuated African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) of Genotype II, obtained by serially passaging an Indian field isolate through the MA-104 cell line.
The vaccine virus underwent laboratory evaluation for sterility, purity, safety, genetic stability, immunogenicity, protective efficacy, and reversion to virulence, and is recommended for pigs older than eight weeks as a primary intramuscular dose followed by a booster 14 days later.
The vaccine was formally dedicated to the nation during the 98th ICAR Foundation Day observance at the National Agricultural Science Centre, New Delhi.
African Swine Fever (ASF) — Disease and Genotype
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious, often fatal viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, caused by the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), a large double-stranded DNA virus of the family Asfarviridae. It does not infect humans but causes near-total mortality in affected pig populations and severe economic losses in the livestock sector. India recorded its first ASF outbreak in 2020 (Assam and Arunachal Pradesh), caused by ASFV Genotype II — the same genotype responsible for the ongoing global pandemic since it emerged in Georgia in 2007 and spread through Eastern Europe, Russia, China, and Southeast Asia.
Key Details
- ASFV has no vaccine that was commercially and widely available for years after its spread beyond Africa, unlike most livestock viral diseases, making this an important biotechnology milestone.
- India's ASF outbreaks are classified as a notifiable animal disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
- Genotype II is distinguished from Genotype I (historically endemic in parts of Africa and, until 1990s, in parts of Europe such as Sardinia) by its genetic and geographic spread pattern.
The indigenous vaccine specifically targets ASFV Genotype II, the strain circulating in India since the 2020 outbreak, making it directly applicable to controlling the disease within the country rather than a generic international candidate.
Live Attenuated Vaccine Technology
A live attenuated vaccine uses a weakened (attenuated) form of the live pathogen that can still replicate and stimulate a strong immune response but does not cause the severe disease. Attenuation here was achieved through serial cell-culture passage (repeated growth cycles) of the field virus isolate in the MA-104 cell line, a monkey kidney cell line commonly used for virus culture, until the virus acquired stable, non-virulent gene deletions.
Key Details
- Live attenuated vaccines (e.g., BCG for tuberculosis, OPV for polio, MMR) generally provide strong and long-lasting immunity compared to killed/inactivated vaccines because they mimic natural infection without causing disease.
- The vaccine's suitability for industrial-scale manufacturing depends on stable replication in a standardized cell line (MA-104 here), a key criterion evaluated before rollout.
- The vaccine development pathway (isolate → attenuate → evaluate safety/efficacy → field trial → commercial dedication) mirrors the standard veterinary/human vaccine development pipeline tested for genetic stability and reversion-to-virulence risk.
The ICAR-NIHSAD vaccine's core innovation is the successful attenuation and stabilisation of an Indian ASFV Genotype II field isolate — a scientific challenge that had stalled ASF vaccine development globally for over a decade before country-specific attenuated strains (first in Vietnam, and now India) became available.
ICAR-NIHSAD and India's Animal Disease Biosecurity Architecture
ICAR-NIHSAD (National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases), located in Bhopal, is India's apex institute for diagnosis and research on transboundary and emerging high-security animal diseases, functioning under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the apex body for coordinating agricultural research in India under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Key Details
- ICAR-NIHSAD is India's referral laboratory for high-containment animal pathogens including ASFV, avian influenza, and other transboundary animal diseases (TADs), operating Biosafety Level (BSL)-3/4 facilities.
- ICAR was established in 1929 and functions as an autonomous body coordinating agricultural and allied research nationwide; its 98th Foundation Day marks the occasion of this vaccine's dedication.
- The vaccine strengthens India's livestock biosecurity framework alongside existing mechanisms such as the National Action Plan for control of ASF and compensation/culling protocols under state animal husbandry departments.
This vaccine represents a domestic biotechnology and biosecurity capability that reduces India's reliance on the limited number of ASF vaccines developed elsewhere (notably Vietnam's NAVET-ASFVAC), reinforcing self-reliance in animal disease control for a sector critical to rural livelihoods, particularly in the North-East and pig-rearing tribal economies.
- Developing institute: ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal
- Vaccine type: Live attenuated vaccine against African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) Genotype II
- Attenuation method: Serial passage of an Indian field isolate in the MA-104 cell line
- Dosage: 1 mL intramuscular injection in pigs over 8 weeks old, with a booster 14 days after the primary dose
- India's first ASF outbreak: 2020, in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
- ASFV global emergence (Genotype II strain): Georgia, 2007
- ICAR Foundation Day marking the dedication: 98th Foundation Day, National Agricultural Science Centre, New Delhi