Suitability of faeces and tissue samples as a basis for non-invasive sampling for African swine fever in XXXX .

@entity1707 @entity38774 @entity281
A challenging aspect of @entity38774 control in @entity1707 populations is the design and implementation of effective surveillance and monitoring programmes, both for early warning, and to determine the ongoing epidemiological situation in an infected population. Testing blood samples requires invasive sampling strategies like hunting or capture of @entity1707 . Besides being biased towards healthy animals, such strategies are also linked to further spread of the virus. Non-invasive sampling strategies would increase the reliability of surveillance of @entity38774 in @entity1707 populations, without the negative side effects. This study evaluates the potential of faeces and tissue samples as a basis for non-invasive sampling strategies for @entity38774 in @entity1707 . In the acute phase (0-21 days after @entity281 ), in comparison with virus detection in blood, virus can be detected in faeces 50-80% of the time. This percentage decreases to below 10% for the subacute/chronic phase. @entity38774 DNA is quite stable in faeces. Half-lives range from more than 2 years at temperature up to 12  C, to roughly 15 days at temperatures of 30  C. In tissue samples, stored at 20  C, half-lives mostly range from 1.7 to 7.4 days. The sample of preference is the spleen, where the highest titres and highest half-life of @entity38774 DNA are observed. The level and duration of excretion of @entity38774 in the faeces, combined with the stability of the DNA, suggest that sampling of faeces could be the basis for a non-invasive sampling strategy to monitor @entity38774 in @entity1707 .
