🔗 Share this article

Spanish authorities investigating the ongoing African swine fever outbreak in the northeastern region are now considering the chance that the disease may have escaped from a research facility. Attention has narrowed to five nearby facilities as possible sources.

Outbreak Details and Industry Stakes

Thirteen infections of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside the Catalan capital beginning on 28 November. This has led Spain – the EU’s biggest exporter of pig products – to scramble to control the outbreak before it becomes a serious risk to the nation's multi-billion euro pig meat export industry.

Evolving Theories of Origin

Initially, regional officials suspected the outbreak started after a boar consumed infected meat products brought in from abroad – possibly a thrown away food item from a truck driver.

However, the national ministry of agriculture has initiated a different line of inquiry after concluding that the variant of the pathogen found in the deceased animals in Catalonia is not the same as the one known to be circulating in other EU member states. Investigative findings indicate the identified virus is instead similar to one detected in the country of Georgia in the year 2007.

"This finding of a virus like the one that was present in Georgia does not, therefore, exclude the chance that its source is a biological containment laboratory," stated the agriculture department.

Research Link Explored

The 'Georgia-2007' virus strain is a 'reference' pathogen frequently used in scientific studies in secure labs to study the disease or to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines, which are presently being developed. The report implies that the outbreak may not have started in animals or meat products from any of the nations where the disease is currently active.

Government Response and Audit

In reaction, the regional president of Catalonia announced he had instructed the Catalan agrifood research institute to conduct an inspection of five facilities that handle the ASF pathogen within a 20km distance of the affected area.

"The regional government are not excluding any possibilities when it comes to the origin of the incident of this disease, but neither is it confirming any," the official stated. "Every theory are open. First and foremost, we need to understand the facts."

Current Control Measures

The authorities have confirmed 13 cases of the disease – each one in deceased feral pigs found within 6km of the first detection site. Officials added the corpses of an additional 37 wild animals discovered in the area have been analysed, with every one showing no infection for swine fever. Experts sent to the thirty-nine pig farms within the 20km radius have found no trace of the illness there. Over 100 members from the nation's emergency response forces have additionally been deployed to the region to assist police officers and wildlife rangers.

Worldwide Context of African Swine Fever

Long endemic to Africa, ASF is harmless to humans but often deadly to pigs. In 2018, the virus turned up in China, which is home to about 50% of the world’s pig population. By 2019, there were concerns that as many as 100 million animals had been culled or died. Subsequently, the virus was detected to be in the Federal Republic of Germany, a country with one of the European Union's largest swine herds.

Spain's Pivotal Position in Pork Exports

Spain, which is the EU’s largest producer of pig meat, sold pork products worth €5.1bn to other European nations in the previous year, and nearly 3.7 billion euros of pig-based goods to destinations outside Europe. National data indicate that Spain processed 58 million swine in the year 2021 – an rise of forty percent from a ten years prior.