Magic™ Mouse Anti-ASFV p30 Monoclonal antibody, clone DG7Y37

Aims Develop an effective laboratory method to consistently recover viral loads from porous concrete coupons sufficient for disinfectant efficacy testing. Investigate the role of concrete matrix pH on the recovery of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) from porous concrete. Compare parameters off FMDV and ASFV inactivation on porous and nonporous surfaces in quantitative carrier tests of a liquid chemical disinfectant. Methods and results Concrete test coupons were fabricated from commercial and industrial sources and carbonated by exposure to 5% CO2 in a humidified incubator, lowering the matrix pH. Neither dried FMDV nor ASFV were recovered from high-pH concrete control coupons. Recovery of infectious virus from lower pH carbonated concrete was similar to stainless steel coupon controls. Exposure to the liquid disinfectant Virkon (TM) S inactivated FMDV and ASFV on porous concrete. Conclusions Concrete matrix pH had a greater impact than surface porosity on the ability to recover viable virus from unsealed concrete. Significance and Impact of the Study Concrete is commonly found in environments where virus decontamination is required. This study demonstrates a reproducible method to recover sufficient viral loads from porous concrete coupons to facilitate quantitative carrier testing. This method provides a basis for evidence-based validation testing of chemical disinfectants to inactivate pH-sensitive viruses on unsealed concrete.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) can cause highly lethal disease in pigs and is becoming a global threat. ASFV DNA Polymerase X (AsfvPolX) is the most distinctive DNA polymerase identified to date; it lacks two DNA-binding domains (the thumb domain and 8-KD domain) conserved in the homologous proteins. AsfvPolX catalyzes the gap-filling reaction during the DNA repair process of the ASFV virus genome; it is highly error prone and plays an important role during the strategic mutagenesis of the viral genome. The structural basis underlying the natural substrate binding and the most frequent dG: dGTP misincorporation of AsfvPolX remain poorly understood. Here, we report eight AsfvPolX complex structures; our structures demonstrate that AsfvPolX has one unique 50-phosphate (50-P) binding pocket, which can favor the productive catalytic complex assembly and enhance the dGTP misincorporation efficiency. In combination with mutagenesis and in vitro catalytic assays, our study also reveals the functional roles of the platform His115-Arg127 and the hydrophobic residues Val120 and Leu123 in dG: dGTP misincorporation and can provide information for rational drug design to help combat ASFV in the future.