ASF outbreak in Italy has moved 400 km south, towards Rome

ASF appears to be spreading among wild boars in Italy in an unusual way: a recent case was confirmed last week near Rome. The distance between the initial outbreak, reported in January, and this new location is more than 400 kilometers, and biosecurity experts expect several more cases to appear on the map in the coming weeks as the disease follows a spread pattern that has also been seen in other European countries.

The ASF case was registered and identified by the Institute for Animal Prevention of Lazio and confirmed by the National Animal Reference Center of Umbria and Marche. According to the OIE, the epidemiological investigation is still ongoing. At the moment, a hypothesis has been put forward that the introduction of the ASF virus occurs solely due to the human factor. Tests confirmed a positive result for genotype 2, reportedly the same strain currently circulating in Europe.