Scientists at Edinburgh's Roslin Institute have successfully created pigs that are resistant to classical swine fever, a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease. The gene-edited animals not only survived exposure but also remained healthy after being infected with the virus.
The development of resistance comes as a significant breakthrough in tackling the devastating effects of CSF on livestock farming worldwide. Since its eradication in the UK in 1966, the disease has continued to pose a major threat, particularly in countries such as China, Russia, and Brazil where it is endemic.
Classical swine fever causes severe symptoms, including fever, skin lesions, convulsions, diarrhea, and often death within 15 days. The recent outbreak in the UK resulted in the culling of over 75,000 pigs, while vaccination programs and trade restrictions are costly and labor-intensive.
To combat this, researchers targeted a specific gene responsible for producing the protein DNAJC14, which plays a critical role in the replication of pestiviruses that include CSF. Altering just a few letters of the DNA code was shown to block viral replication in previous studies. The scientists at Roslin Institute created a line of pigs with the precise edits and tested them against CSF.
The results were remarkable, as four of the gene-edited pigs remained completely healthy even after being exposed to the virus, while their control counterparts showed signs of infection and high levels of the virus in their blood. Multiple generations of gene-edited pigs were monitored without any adverse effects on health or fertility observed.
This breakthrough comes as countries are relaxing rules around gene editing in agriculture, with several nations already approving gene-edited livestock. The development is hailed as a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations and reducing losses for farmers affected by CSF.
The development of resistance comes as a significant breakthrough in tackling the devastating effects of CSF on livestock farming worldwide. Since its eradication in the UK in 1966, the disease has continued to pose a major threat, particularly in countries such as China, Russia, and Brazil where it is endemic.
Classical swine fever causes severe symptoms, including fever, skin lesions, convulsions, diarrhea, and often death within 15 days. The recent outbreak in the UK resulted in the culling of over 75,000 pigs, while vaccination programs and trade restrictions are costly and labor-intensive.
To combat this, researchers targeted a specific gene responsible for producing the protein DNAJC14, which plays a critical role in the replication of pestiviruses that include CSF. Altering just a few letters of the DNA code was shown to block viral replication in previous studies. The scientists at Roslin Institute created a line of pigs with the precise edits and tested them against CSF.
The results were remarkable, as four of the gene-edited pigs remained completely healthy even after being exposed to the virus, while their control counterparts showed signs of infection and high levels of the virus in their blood. Multiple generations of gene-edited pigs were monitored without any adverse effects on health or fertility observed.
This breakthrough comes as countries are relaxing rules around gene editing in agriculture, with several nations already approving gene-edited livestock. The development is hailed as a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations and reducing losses for farmers affected by CSF.
OMG have you guys seen the latest on pig DNA editing?! It's like science fiction come true - they made pigs that can't get sick! 
Four of them were even exposed to classical swine fever and still didn't get infected! The gene-editing is literally game-changing for farmers who lose thousands of animals every year. No more culling, no more costly vaccines... this could be the future of livestock farming! 
. I can only imagine how devastating it must be to lose 75,000 pigs like they did in the UK last year 
. This gene-edited pig stuff is like something out of science fiction, but if it means saving more pigs and reducing the cost of culling (and labor for farmers), then I'm all for it 
. I hope this tech gets rolled out ASAP so we can start seeing some real benefits for the pork industry 
. It's amazing how scientists are using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience against diseases in livestock populations. This is the future of farming 
. Can't wait to see more breakthroughs like this one 
!
just imagine having to deal with that kind of disease on an industrial scale, the thought alone gives me chills 
. I'm all for any breakthroughs like this, it's about time we find more humane ways to tackle these kinds of issues. Gene editing is crazy, but if it means saving millions of animals and billions of dollars in lost revenue, then I'm totally on board 
. The fact that they only had to tweak a few genes to make the difference is just wild 
the gene-edited animals not only survived the infection but actually stayed healthy after being exposed? that's insane! 
i'm loving how countries are starting to relax rules around gene editing in agriculture, it's like we're one step closer to a more sustainable food system 
can't wait to see where this tech takes us next! 
CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER IS LIKE, SO DEADLY AND EVERYTHING... IT'S GRRRREAT THAT SCIENTISTS FOUND A WAY TO MAKE PIGS RESISTANT TO IT! 
IT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU HOW FAR SCIENCE CAN COME IN SAVING LIVES (OR AT LEAST LIVES OF PIGS)!!! 
This whole thing got me thinking... what does it mean when we play God with nature? Like, scientists are basically messing with the fundamental code of life 
to create animals that can survive diseases. It's wild. And on one hand, I get it - if this tech can save countless pigs and livestock from dying off, then yeah, let's do it! 
We gotta be careful 'bout tampering with nature, right?
Those gene-edited animals surviving exposure and remaining healthy even after getting infected is just insane! 
it's like they developed a superpower 
and I'm all for using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience in livestock populations 
the idea of creating pigs that are super resistant to swine fever is like something out of a sci-fi movie - but it's real life now! scientists have actually cracked the code on how to make these animals immune, and it's all thanks to some serious gene editing magic 
I mean, can you believe it? Scientists have actually managed to create pigs that are basically immune to classical swine fever! It's wild thinking about how far we've come, you know? Like, back in the day, we'd be out there losing 75,000 pigs every time CSF hit 
. And now, these gene-edited pigs can just chill while their friends are dying off left and right 
.
. This breakthrough is definitely a step in the right direction for livestock farming worldwide. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have even more innovative solutions for diseases that are keeping us up at night 
.