PigProgress ASF China: Mutations confirmed by Chinese scientists Chinese scientists have confirmed that milder mutations of African Swine Fever virus (ASFv) are going around in China. The conclusions were drawn by scientists from the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute. The study was published in the journal Life Sciences, a publication by Science China and follows earlier reports about ASFv mutations emerging in China. In their article, the researchers wrote: “The emergence of lower virulent natural mutants brings greater difficulty to the early diagnosis of ASF and creates new challenges for ASFv control.” They added, “Considering the huge population of pigs in China and an endemic period of more than 2 years, it is not surprising to find complex genetic diversity among the field ASFvs in China.”