Molecular Pathogens 2024, Vol.15, No.4, 209-218 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 209 Review and Progress Open Access Mechanisms of Immune Evasion by African Swine Fever Virus: An Integrated Review Xiaofang Lin Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Tropical Animal Center, Sanya, 572024, China Corresponding email: xiaofang.lin@hitar.org Molecular Pathogens, 2024, Vol.15, No.4 doi: 10.5376/mp.2024.15.0020 Received: 20 Jun., 2024 Accepted: 05 Aug., 2024 Published: 25 Aug., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Lin, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Lin X.F., 2024, Mechanisms of immune evasion by african swine fever virus: an integrated review, Molecular Pathogens, 15(4): 209-218 (doi: 10.5376/mp.2024.15.0020) Abstract African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly lethal virus that poses a severe threat to the global swine industry. ASFV evades detection and elimination by the host immune system through various immune evasion mechanisms, including the inhibition of type I interferon response, modulation of apoptosis, targeting and destruction of immune cells, suppression of the host inflammatory response, and escaping neutralizing antibodies through antigenic variation and disruption of host immune surveillance. This study provides an integrated analysis of ASFV’s immune evasion mechanisms, explores the complexity of its interactions with the host immune system, and discusses the technical challenges currently faced in research. A deep understanding of these mechanisms is crucial for the development of effective ASFV vaccines. The findings of this study will provide key scientific insights for vaccine design and promote the development of more targeted vaccine strategies to help effectively control the spread of this virus. Keywords African swine fever virus; Immune evasion; Interferon response; Antigenic variation; Vaccine development 1 Introduction African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious and lethal virus that primarily affects domestic and wild pigs, posing a severe threat to the global swine industry and causing significant economic losses. Since its initial discovery, ASFV has spread across multiple continents, including Europe, Asia, and Africa, leading to widespread outbreaks (Brookes et al., 2020). ASFV has a large and complex DNA genome that encodes various proteins involved in viral replication, virulence, and immune evasion, enabling the virus to successfully infect multiple hosts and maintain high stability in the environment (Gallardo et al., 2018; Hemmink et al., 2022). Understanding the immune evasion mechanisms of ASFV is crucial for developing effective control and prevention measures. ASFV employs various strategies to evade detection and elimination by the immune system, including modulation of host immune pathways, inhibition of apoptosis, and suppression of antigen presentation. These mechanisms allow the virus to survive and replicate within the host while complicating the development of vaccines and therapeutic interventions (Gallardo et al., 2018; Sereda et al., 2023). Given the significant threat ASFV poses to the global swine industry, studying its immune evasion mechanisms is essential not only for understanding the virus's persistence and transmission but also for designing effective vaccines and biosecurity strategies (Brookes et al., 2020; Sereda et al., 2023). This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the current research on ASFV immune evasion mechanisms, exploring key viral proteins and signaling pathways and identifying potential therapeutic targets. The findings will offer scientific insights for the development of novel vaccines and antiviral strategies, helping to mitigate the impact of ASFV on the global swine industry. 2 Overview of ASFV and the Host Immune Response 2.1 Structure and genetic composition of ASFV African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large, double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Asfarviridae family. It is structurally complex and primarily infects domestic pigs and wild boars, causing a highly lethal hemorrhagic
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