01744nas a2200193   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260007000043653002700113653001600140653002400156100001500180700001600195700001800211245010400229490000800333520119500341022001401536       2018                            d  c10/2018bSchlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KGaHannover10aOutbreak investigation10abiosecurity10aAfrican Swine Fever1 aK Lamberga1 aM Seržants1 aE Oļševskis00aAfrican swine fever outbreak investigations in a large commercial pig farm in Latvia: a case report0 v1313 aIn Mid-January 2017 a large commercial pig breeding farm in Latvia with almost  5000 animals was affected by African swine fever (ASF). Epidemiological investigations  using a hypothesis based approach were conducted to trace the source of  virus and to reconstruct the course of the disease until notification.  Although the farm was located in an area where the disease is circulating in the  wild boar population, it was found highly unlikely that wild boar might have  played a direct role in this outbreak. Management inconsistencies related to  human behavior proved to be the main vulnerabilities for virus introduction. Farm  management did not fulfill biosecurity requirements in all aspects to prevent  virus introduction. Therefore, the human factor could not be ruled out and has  been considered to be the most serious risk factor. Most probably the ASF virus  entered the farm beginning of December 2016, about six weeks before disease  confirmation. It was concluded that early detection of ASF by passive surveillance is most crucial  and has to be improved. In risk areas dead pigs should be compulsory tested  for ASF even if farm mortality is below the normal threshold.   a0005-9366