African swine fever virus (ASFV) remains a critical threat to global pig populations. The highly virulent Georgia 2007 isolate (ASFV-GRG) causes rapid clinical deterioration and is almost universally fatal. In our previous work using oronasal challenge, pigs typically developed fever (> 41 °C), skin lesions, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, anorexia, lethargy, swollen joints, lameness, dyspnoea, and sometimes cyanosis / haemorrhagic signs, with viremia reaching ~109.5 to 1010 TCID50/mL by humane endpoint between 6–10 days post-infection 1. We also observed a marked reduction in total cell counts of several immune subsets—namely B cells, CD4+ T cells (4–6 dpi), and MHC-II+ antigen-presenting cells (by 6 dpi)—consistent with published findings. ASFV infection further induces dysregulated cytokine responses (cytokine storm), contributing to immune dysfunction and uncontrolled pathology.
As the need for enhanced animal welfare for high impact infectious disease models grows, we are investigating whether analgesic intervention can reduce suffering without compromising scientific objectives. This study aims to evaluate the effects of multimodal analgesia—intramuscular buprenorphine combined with oral paracetamol—on disease progression, viral kinetics, and immune responses to ASFV-GRG.
A randomized controlled trial involved treated (n = 4) and untreated (n = 4) pigs challenged oronasally and monitored for clinical signs using validated scoring systems, alongside continuous behavioural analysis (activity, posture, feeding). Viral kinetics was assessed via qPCR and TCID50, with cellular immune responses measured by flow cytometry, cytokines vial Luminex, and humoral responses via ASFV-specific ELISAs.
If targeted analgesia improves animal welfare—by reducing behavioural indicators of pain—without significantly affecting key scientific outcomes, this approach could support refinement of ASFV challenge models in line with both ethical and scientific best practices.