Antiviral agents against African swine fever virus.

ABSTRACT

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a significant transboundary virus that continues to spread outside Africa in Europe and most recently to China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Pigs infected with highly virulent ASFV develop a hemorrhagic fever like illness with high lethality reaching up to 100%. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs available for the prevention or treatment of ASFV infections. We here review molecules that have been reported to inhibit ASFV replication, either as direct-acting antivirals or host-targeting drugs as well as those that act via a yet unknown mechanism. Prospects for future antiviral research against ASFV are also discussed.