african swine fever
C1/C2Technical, Formal, News/Media
Definition
Meaning
A highly contagious, often fatal viral disease of pigs, characterised by high fever, skin lesions, and internal bleeding.
The term specifically denotes a severe epizootic disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, causing major economic losses in the pork industry. It is caused by a DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family and is not a risk to human health.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term functions as a proper noun or a compound noun. It is a hyponym (specific type) of 'swine fever' or 'hog cholera'. In non-technical contexts, 'African swine fever' and 'ASF' are used interchangeably.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in terminology. Spelling follows regional conventions for general text (e.g., haemorrhage vs. hemorrhage in descriptions). The abbreviation 'ASF' is common in both.
Connotations
Identical strong connotations of disease, biosecurity threat, and economic damage.
Frequency
Equally frequent in relevant contexts (veterinary, agricultural news). More common in US media due to larger commercial pig industry.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
An outbreak of African swine fever [verb] in [location].Authorities are struggling to contain the spread of African swine fever.The farm was culled due to African swine fever.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this term.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Discussed in terms of market impact, export bans, and pork prices.
Academic
Used in veterinary science, virology, and epidemiology research papers.
Everyday
Appears in news reports about food security and farming.
Technical
Detailed discussion of virus strains, transmission routes (Ornithodoros ticks), and clinical signs.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The herd was devastated after the premises contracted African swine fever.
- Farms are being monitored to ensure they do not become infected with African swine fever.
American English
- The state's pork industry is reeling after several facilities were hit with African swine fever.
- They worked to prevent the virus from establishing itself in the wild hog population.
adverb
British English
- The pigs died, presumably African-swine-fever-positive.
American English
- The herd was tested and found African-swine-fever-negative.
adjective
British English
- The African-swine-fever-related restrictions halted all pork exports.
- An African swine fever outbreak was confirmed in Kent.
American English
- The African-swine-fever-positive samples triggered a major response.
- They implemented African swine fever protocols at the border.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- African swine fever is a bad sickness for pigs.
- Farmers do not want this fever in their pigs.
- The news reported an outbreak of African swine fever in a nearby country.
- This disease is very dangerous for pigs but not for people.
- Biosecurity measures are crucial to prevent the introduction of African swine fever to unaffected regions.
- The economic impact of an African swine fever outbreak can be devastating for pork producers.
- The persistence of the African swine fever virus in the environment and in wild boar populations complicates eradication efforts.
- Phylogenetic analysis traced the outbreak strain of African swine fever to a genotype circulating in Eastern Europe.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the acronym ASF: African Swine Fever. Visualise a map of Africa and a pig with a fever thermometer.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISEASE IS AN INVADER / DISEASE IS AN ECONOMIC DISASTER.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'African' as 'африканский' in isolation; it's part of the fixed compound term 'Африканская чума свиней' (АЧС).
- Avoid literal translation like 'африканская свиная лихорадка' as it is non-standard.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'swine flu' interchangeably (swine flu is influenza and can affect humans).
- Misspelling as 'African swine fever' (should be capitalised as a proper noun).
- Omitting 'African' when referring specifically to ASF versus Classical Swine Fever.
Practice
Quiz
What is a key characteristic of African swine fever?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, African swine fever is not a zoonotic disease. It affects only pigs (domestic and wild) and does not pose a health risk to humans.
It spreads through direct contact with infected pigs, their body fluids, or contaminated objects (fomites). It can also be spread via ticks of the Ornithodoros genus and through uncooked pork products.
As of now, there is no commercially available vaccine that is widely effective against African swine fever, though research is ongoing.
The disease was first described in Kenya in the early 20th century and is historically endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where it circulates in wild suids (like warthogs) and soft ticks.