African swine fever virus vaccine strain Asfv-G-∆I177l reverts to virulence and negatively affects reproductive performance

ASFV-G-ΔI177L is a modified-live African swine fever virus (ASFV) strain that has been incorporated into a commercially available vaccine. Its safety in pregnant sows and genetic stability in an in vivo passaging experiment were investigated. Upon inoculation of two pregnant sows with ASFV-G-ΔI177L, one developed moderate ASF-related clinical signs. In terms of reproductive performance, 43% of the offspring was born dead and the live-born piglets developed ASF-specific clinical signs, became viremic, and only 17% survived until the end of study. During passaging in pigs, ASFV-G-ΔI177L reverted to virulence with severe ASF-specific clinical signs at passages 3 and 4, associated with increased viremia. Whole genome sequencing identified C257L mutations as a potential driver of increased replication fitness and virulence. The data show that ASFV-G-ΔI177L is not genetically stable and, therefore not safe for use in ASF vaccines and suggest that ASF vaccine candidates should be tested for safety in pregnant animals.