Anti-classical swine fever virus strategies

Classical swine fever (CSF), caused by CSF virus (CSFV), is a highly contagious swine disease with high morbidity and mortality, which has caused significant economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. Biosecurity measures and vaccination are the main methods for prevention and control of CSF since no specific drug is available for the effective treatment of CSF. Although a series of biosecurity and vaccination strategies have been developed to curb the outbreak events, it is still difficult to eliminate CSF in CSF-endemic and re-emerging areas. Thus, in addition to implementing enhanced biosecurity measures and exploring more effective CSF vaccines, other strategies are also needed for effectively controlling CSF. Currently, more and more research about anti-CSFV strategies was carried out by scientists, because of the great prospects and value of anti-CSFV strategies in the prevention and control of CSF. Additionally, studies on anti-CSFV strategies could be used as a reference for other viruses in the Flaviviridae family, such as hepatitis C virus, dengue virus, and Zika virus. In this review, we aim to summarize the research on anti-CSFV strategies. In detail, host proteins affecting CSFV replication, drug candidates with anti-CSFV effects, and RNA interference (RNAi) targeting CSFV viral genes were mentioned and the possible mechanisms related to anti-CSFV effects were also summarized.