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Spanish authorities investigating the ongoing ASF outbreak in the northeastern region are now considering the possibility that the disease could have originated from a research facility. Their focus has shifted to several local labs as possible sources.

Outbreak Details and Economic Stakes

Thirteen infections of the virus have been identified in feral pigs in the rural areas outside Barcelona since 28 November. This has led the country – the EU’s largest exporter of pig products – to rush to contain the outbreak before it escalates into a serious risk to the nation's multi-billion euro pork export sector.

Evolving Theories of Origin

At first, regional authorities believed the disease may have begun after a wild boar consumed contaminated meat products brought in from abroad – perhaps a thrown away food item from a haulier.

However, the Spanish agriculture ministry has initiated a different investigation after determining that the strain of the pathogen detected in the dead animals in the region is not the same as the one reported to be circulating in other EU member states. According to a report suggest the identified virus is instead akin to one found in the country of Georgia in the year 2007.

"The discovery of a strain similar to the one that circulated in Georgia does not, therefore, exclude the chance that its source lies in a high-security facility," said the ministry.

Research Connection Explored

The 'Georgia 2007' viral strain is a 'standard' virus commonly used in experimental infections in containment facilities to study the disease or to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines, which are currently under development. The analysis implies that the virus might not have started in livestock or animal products from any of the nations where the disease is currently present.

Official Actions and Review

In response, Salvador Illa stated he had instructed the Catalan agrifood research institute to carry out an audit of five facilities that handle the African swine fever pathogen within a 20km radius of the affected area.

"We isn’t ruling out any scenarios when it comes to the source of the incident of African swine fever, but neither is it confirming any," he said. "All hypotheses remain open. Above all, we need to know what happened."

Current Control Measures

The authorities have confirmed 13 cases of the virus – each one in dead wild boar located within 6km of the first detection site. They have said the corpses of 37 more animals discovered in the zone have been analysed, with all showing no infection for the virus. Specialists dispatched to the 39 pig farms within the 20km radius have found no sign of the disease there. Over 100 members from the nation's military emergencies unit have additionally been sent to the region to work alongside police officers and wildlife rangers.

Worldwide Background of African Swine Fever

Long endemic to the African continent, ASF is harmless to people but often fatal to pigs. In 2018, the disease emerged in China, which is home to about half of the global pig population. By the following year, there were concerns that up to 100 million pigs had been culled or died. Two years later, the pathogen was detected to be in the Federal Republic of Germany, a country with one of the EU’s largest pig farming industries.

The Country's Crucial Role in Pork Production

The nation, which is the EU’s biggest pork producer, sold pork products worth €5.1bn to other EU countries in the previous year, and almost €3.7bn of pork products to markets outside the bloc. National statistics show that the country processed 58 million pigs in 2021 – an rise of 40% from a ten years prior.