Surveillance and Management Strategies for African Swine Fever (ASF) in Central Luzon, Philippines
African swine fever (ASF) remains a major threat to swine production in Central Luzon, Philippines. This study assessed ASF detection and farm-level risk factors in Central Luzon using a risk-based surveillance framework. Pooled blood samples from five pigs per farm were collected in 277 farms across seven provinces and tested by real-time PCR. The analysis yielded an apparent farm-level prevalence of 26.7% (95% CI: 21.6-32.3), defined by one pooled 5-pig blood sample per farm. However, these values reflect risk-based surveillance outcomes rather than population-representative prevalence. Detection varied by province, with high rates in Bataan (80.5%) and Nueva Ecija (55.0%), moderate detection in Zambales (24.3%), lower detection in Pampanga (5.0%) and Tarlac (20.0%), and no positives in Aurora or Bulacan. Survey data were available for 201 farms. Firth-penalized logistic regression identified the absence of perimeter fencing as the only statistically significant predictor of ASFV detection. Veterinary oversight and consultancy showed protective but non-significant trends. These results highlight structural and professional biosecurity gaps, emphasizing the need for expanded veterinary outreach, fencing support, and training to mitigate ASF risk in smallholder-dominated production systems.
Authors
- Bonto Faburay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0421-7081)
- Marvin Bryan Segundo Salinas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3778-6687)
- Errol Jay Y. Balagan
- Gemerlyn G. Garcia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3614-8480)
- Noraine P. Medina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7722-860X)
- Virginia Venturina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8896-6253)
- Alvin P. Soriano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5241-4457)
- Roderick Salvador
- Romeo S. Gundran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9613-2491)
- Ronalie B. Rafael (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6469-6359)
- Peter Valdez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6935-5916)
- Corrie C. Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0332-6159)
- María Cruz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2124-2629)
- Lohreihlieh P. Parayao
- Dante M. Fabros (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4274-1136)
Institutions
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (US)
- Central Luzon State University (PH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pathogens
- Published
- 2025-10-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14100995
- Primary Topic
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00