Effects of African Swine Fever infection on blood of pigs from selected local government areas in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a notifiable highly infectious lethal haemorrhagic disease in domestic pigs. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). was carried out to detect antibodies against ASF virus and haematological investigations were also carried out on blood samples collected from 127 pigs from various piggeries and slaughter houses from selected Local Government Areas in Nassarawa State Nigeria. 1(0.79%) pig was positive to ELISA haematological investigations consisting of packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell count (RBC), and white blood cell count (WBC). The mean PCV, RBC and WBC values of pigs sero-negative for ASF were 32.64+6.509, 12.97+ 3.653 and 10.30+5.397/ml respectively while the values of pig sero-positive for ASF was 32.80+ 0.00 , 13.00+0.00 and 20.60+0.00/ml respectively. It was observed that the PCV values (32.800+ 0.00) of the sero-positive pig and sero-negative pigs (32.64+6.509) were not significantly different from the normal value; it was also observed that the sero-positive pig had higher mean WBC count than the normal and also mean sero-negative pigs. There was increase in the mean values of PCV, RBC and WBC count caused by African Swine Fever infection due to response to the disease infection.