Simulation of protective immune mechanisms at African swine fever in vitro

Pigs that survive after infection with African swine fever virus are resistant to reinfection with seroimmunotype-homologous virulent isolates, indicating an immune protection development. Nevertheless, the points regarding the protective importance of various immune mechanisms at African swine fever still remain controversial. Peripheral blood leukocyte cultures prepared from both intact or vaccinated pigs were used as models of implemented virus-specific reactions in vivo. The maximum amount of ASF virus was determined in the cultures with adherent cells from intact or immunized gilt, non-adherent white blood cells and the serum of an intact animal. Replacement of non-adherent cells from intact gilt by those from the immunized one led to a significant decrease in ASF virus titres. It was shown that combination of A-cells from intact or immunized gilt, non-adherent cells from the intact animal and the serum from immunized animal limited the viral propagation more strictly, under the replacement of non-adherent cells from the intact gilt by those from the immunized animal at the most. The results determine the role of cellular and humoral immunity in limiting African swine fever virus replication. The protection mechanisms mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and antibody-mediated cellular anti-effectors are found to have an integrated effect, suggesting their targeting against different epitopes.