Abstract:
This updated review provides an overview of the available information on Ornithodoros
ticks as reservoirs and biological vectors of the ASF virus in Africa and Indian Ocean islands in
order to update the current knowledge in this field, inclusive of an overview of available methods
to investigate the presence of ticks in the natural environment and in domestic pig premises. In
addition, it highlights the major areas of research that require attention in order to guide future
investigations and fill knowledge gaps. The available information suggests that current knowledge
is clearly insufficient to develop risk-based control and prevention strategies, which should be
based on a sound understanding of genotype distribution and the potential for spillover from the
source population. Studies on tick biology in the natural and domestic cycle, including genetics
and systematics, represent another important knowledge gap. Considering the rapidly changing
dynamics affecting the African continent (demographic growth, agricultural expansion, habitat
transformation), anthropogenic factors influencing tick population distribution and ASF virus (ASFV)
evolution in Africa are anticipated and have been recorded in southern Africa. This dynamic context,
together with the current global trends of ASFV dissemination, highlights the need to prioritize
further investigation on the acarological aspects linked with ASF ecology and evolution.
