Several species of the soft ticks do exist but the species responsible for spreading ASFV in Uganda is the Ornithodorus moubata, which itself is a reservoir for the ASFV. The soft ticks too, get infected with the ASFV when they feed on infected wild pigs of domestic pigs.
These ticks majorly inhabit warthog burrows although they have been found to infest domestic pig stys as well. The ticks are responsible for the existence of the traditional sylvatic ASFV cycle.
MRC-University of Glasgow, Centre for Virus Research
Global African Swine Fever Research Alliance
US National Wildlife Research Center
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The National Veterinary Institute Sweden
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF)
Charles Masembe (BVM, MSc., PhD),
Associate Professor (Molecular Genetics & Evolution),
Wellcome Trust Fellow,