Classical swine fever in pigs and its status in India: A review

Abstract

Classical swine fever (CSF) or hog cholera, one of the most dreaded and devastating viral disease of swine, causes serious economic losses directly due to mortality, retardation of growth, reproductive problenls of affected pigs and indirectly by bringing restrictions on exports of pork and pork products. The disease is enzootic in most of the pig producing states and particularly in the North Eastern states of India. Outbreaks of CSF have not only been reported from different states of India, but the occurrence of CSF virus in the tissues of pigs slaughtered for human consumption has also been reported. The lapinized swine fever vaccine has been used in the country to protect pigs against the disease, but the vaccine is not sufficient and is facing constraints its production. The cell culture attenuated CSF virus vaccine will be the only alternative to protect pigs against the disease. Besides the vaccine, early diagnosis and understanding on the epidemiology of the disease are important not only to prevent the spread of the disease but also to evolve suitable strategy to control the disease in India.