African Swine Fever Virus (asfv) Multigene Families 360 and 530 Genes Promote Infected Macrophage Survival

INTRODUCTION. In the swine host ASFV infects cells of the mononuclear-phagocytic system including fixed tissue macrophages (1). Cytopathological changes consistent with apoptotic cell death, including karyorrhexis and chromatin condensation, have been observed in mononuclear cells in tissues of pigs infected with highly virulent ASFV isolates (2). ASFV infection induced apoptosis in primary swine macrophages in vitro at late time postinfection, a time at which viral replication had already occurred in these cells (3). Thus, transient modulation of infected macrophage survival may be necessary for productive viral replication to occur in this cell type.