Functions of many African swine fever virus genes and multigene family members have not been yet understood. In particular, no virus genes directly associated with pig virulence have been identifed. Identifcation of such genes will enable preparation of deletion mutant ASF virus strains as well as development and testing of pilot safe vaccines based on the said virus strains. Comparative analysis of the virus biological characteristics and detection of differences in its genome structure affecting certain phenotypic features is a main method used for the virus basic pathogenicity and immunogenicity examination. The most interesting and effective approach to addressing this problem is an analysis of changes in the gene structure during ASF virus adaptation to replication in continuous cell culture. The said factors have made continuous cell culture-adapted variant ASF virus preparation necessary. Variant viruses with modifed biological features were prepared during adaptation of ASFV Odintsovo 02/14 isolate to replication in CV-1 cell culture. Lethality level was 16.7% when pigs were infected with adapted variant virus at 30th passage and survived animals became resistant to reinfection with homologous virulent ASFV Arm07 isolate. It should be noted that the virus passage in non-permissive cell culture up to 30 serial passages did not result in changes in its genotype; however, a large 3,000 bp deletion similar to that one in continuous Vero-cell culture-adapted BA71V strain genome appeared in right terminal variable region of the genome.

The paper describes the results of testing of biomaterial from domestic pigs and wild boars by real-time PCR used for African swine fever virus genome detection, carried out in the FGBI “Federal Centre for Animal Health” (Vladimir). In 2017 8,500 samples from 44 subjects of the Russian Federation were tested within the framework of the state laboratory monitoring. African swine fever virus genome was detected in 504 samples. In 2017 ASF outbreaks were registered in the Urals and Siberian Federal Districts of the RF for the first time. The conducted research and persistent ASF infection in the territory of the RF have demonstrated the need for further surveillance in the populations of susceptible animals. Development, organization and implementation of the program for ASF spread surveillance in wild fauna remains a high priority. It is necessary to create and implement sampling schedules with uniform sampling of biomaterial and submission of the collected samples to the research laboratories for timely ASF outbreak containment at the regional level.

Due to the lack of effective tools of ASF specific prevention it is evident that early diagnosis is one of the most important and resultative ways of the disease control. However, contemporary diagnosis is a complex component of any effective surveillance system. Latest scientific achievements facilitated not only highly specific and sensitive but also rapid methods of laboratory diagnosis. Nevertheless, further development, improvement and expansion of ASF diagnosis techniques including rapid tests is a topical task of a great concern. The research is devoted to development of rapid test methods for rapid detection of antibodies to ASFV in blood sera of infected animals as well as to analysis of their use effectiveness. The following methods were suggested: immunoperoxidase monolayer assay using fixed cell line (ASFV permissive CV-1 cell-line infected with the virus strain ASF/ARRIAH/CV-1) and latex agglutination test using ASFV p30 recombinant protein. The performed research demonstrated the effectiveness of the applied techniques for ASF serological diagnosis. Latex agglutination test and immunoperoxidase monolayer assay give rapid and high quality test results (within 1–2 hours). The advantage of the specified methods as compared to ELISA is their simplicity and the possibility of use in conditions of limited technical support.

РЕЗЮМЕВ настоящее время актуальным вопросом в профилактике и лечении вирус-ных инфекций является изучение действия на организм человека и животных индукторов синтеза интерферона -веществ природного или синтетического происхождения, стимулирующих продукцию собственного интерферона. Од-ним из синтетических индукторов интерферона является полудан. Он пред-назначен для стимуляции клеточного иммунитета, который способен предотвращать заражение и развитие заболевания, а также обладает противови-русным и иммуномодулирующим действием. В клетках и тканях организма по-лудан в основном стимулирует выработку α-интерферона и в меньшей степени -β-и γ-интерферона, образование которых препятствует размножению вируса в клетке. Представлены результаты влияния полудана на репродукцию ряда вирусов свиней в первичных и перевиваемых культурах клеток путем индукции синтеза интерферона и других цитокинов, понижающих уровень инфицирования клеток. В результате проведенных исследований выявили взаимосвязь внесения индуктора интерферона и изменения уровня репродукции вирусов репродуктив-но-респираторного синдрома свиней, трансмиссивного гастроэнтерита свиней и африканской чумы свиней. Также установлен высокий уровень интерфероно-генной активности полудана в первичных культурах клеток тестикул и селезенки свиней по сравнению с перевиваемыми линиями клеток почки эмбриона свиньи (СПЭВ) и почки макаки-резуса (MARC-145). Интерфероногенная способность по-лудана была умеренной для клеток MARC-145 и не установлена для клеток СПЭВ.Ключевые слова: репродуктивно-респираторный синдром свиней, трансмиссивный гастроэнтерит свиней, африканская чума свиней, полудан, интерферон.