Changes in saliva and serum analytes in domestic pigs and wild boar experimentally infected with African swine fever virus

African swine fever (ASF) has reached an unprecedented global spread and threatens domestic and wild pigs on all continents. In domestic pigs and wild suids outside Africa, the disease is associated with signs of a viral hemorrhagic fever, the pathogenesis of which has not been fully elucidated to date. To address these knowledge gaps, the study of biomarkers of different physiopathological pathways that can be measured in saliva, can provide important insights and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of ASF pathogenesis. In the present study, animal experiments were performed with experimentally ASF virus (ASFV/ "Prenzlau 22") infected domestic pigs (DP) and wild boar (WB). For this, analyses of various biomarkers in saliva from DP and WB were conducted at three different time points of ASFV infection. For comparative purposes, serum biochemistry, qPCR values, and clinical parameters (i.e., clinical score and rectal body temperature) were also assessed. Biomarker analyses in the saliva of the infected DP showed significant increases in haptoglobin, S100A8/A9, S100A12, total protein, adenosine deaminase and LDH. In WB, α-amylase was increased in saliva at 7 days post-infection. In addition, changes in biomarkers of stress and inflammation were observed in the serum of DP and WB. Overall, in this report we demonstrate notable alterations in saliva and serum analytes of ASFV-infected DP and WB, reflecting physiopathological mechanisms such as activation of the stress, immune system, and inflammation. In future studies, the potential of these analytes as biomarkers of the disease and as a tool to evaluate the response of the host to the infection should be undertaken.