Detection of African Swine Fever Virus Genotype II and IGR-II variant in wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Dermacentor steini tick from Peninsular Malaysia

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease of domestic and wild pigs caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. The virus was first reported in Malaysia in 2021 in Sabah and has since been detected in several states, raising concerns over its endemicity. As part of a retrospective biosurveillance program, 38 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were sampled across Peninsular Malaysia between January 2022 and August 2024. Whole blood, spleen tissues and ectoparasites were tested for ASFV using a validated real-time PCR assay. Genotyping was conducted based on the partial B646L gene and the intergenic region (IGR) between the I73R and I329L genes. One adult male wild boar captured at Masjid Tanah, Melaka, tested positive for ASFV, along with a Dermacentor steini tick collected from the same animal. Phylogenetic analysis of the ASFV sequences clustered it with genotype II, while both the blood and tick samples were classified as IGR-II variants, consistent with strains previously reported in Malaysia and other Asian countries. This finding suggests that ASFV is circulating within Peninsular Malaysia’s wild boar population and may be establishing sustained transmission in the country. Continued wildlife surveillance, strict biosecurity at wildlife-livestock interfaces, and One Health coordination through integrated veterinary, wildlife, and environmental health efforts are critical to mitigate further spread.

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