Sample Origin
Eighty-six EDTA blood samples were obtained from recent animal trials conducted at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) with domestic pigs, wild boar and minipigs infected with different ASFV strains of genotypes I, II or X (see supporting table 1). The animal trials for strain characterization and reference material generation were approved by the competent animal welfare authority under reference number 7221.3-2-011/19. Blood was aliquoted and promptly frozen after sampling, allowing high sample quality. Additionally, eleven blood samples of shot wild boar confirmed with ASF from the affected regions in Germany were included in the study. These animals were sampled immediately after death, also ensuring close to ideal matrix quality. Eighty blood samples originated from wild boar carcasses confirmed with ASF during the German outbreak (see supporting table 2). In addition, 60 negative field samples originating from shot wild boar of the same region were included. These field samples had been sent to the NRL for investigation between September 2020 and April 2021. Blood from carcasses and shot wild boar were mainly taken by local veterinary officers at the point-of-care and sent to the FLI (samples C17-C80 and negative field samples from shot animals), or was obtained during necropsy of the wild boar cadavers directly at the high containment facilities at the FLI (samples C1-C16, see supporting tables 2 and 3). Carcass-derived blood samples were in various stages of decomposition and impaired by clotting and/or autolysis. Field samples C17-C80, negative wild boar samples, and samples H81-H91, which the NRL received prior to the start of the study or in which LFA testing could not immediately be conducted, were stored at -80° C before investigations. Samples C1-C16 could be obtained during necropsy and were tested before, and, for comparison, after freeze-thawing (see supporting table 3).