Identification of a New Domestic Pig Cell Line for Growth of African Swine Fever Viruses for Vaccine Production in Uganda

Abstract

In this study, a basis for the feasibility of a successful ASF vaccine design program using live attenuated vaccines was sought. One of the challenges to African swine fever (ASF) vaccine development is having a cell line that will provide commercial utility for vaccine production. We set out to address this problem by innovatively identifying possible cell lines from local domestic pigs in the country. Eight tissue types from ASF-negative animals were identified for incorporation into cell line development. These were degraded, incubated, and monitored for cell growth. One cell line, the SIR2-P, grew consistently and confluently and was tested for the ability to grow and isolate field ASF viruses. We report the isolation of ASF viruses in our laboratory for the first time. The P9C virus from Namayingo district exhibited the largest plaque sizes compared to the SQ517B virus from Mukono. The innovative identification of the SIR2-P cell line is proof of concept that newer species- specific cell lines can be developed in the Infectious Animal Disease Laboratory (IADL), and utilized to study other animal viruses like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus, Foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus, and Swine Influenza. Such cells can be used in vaccine production for other endemic diseases in Uganda. The SIR2-P cell line is currently at passage 65.