The Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation at Kansas State University recently hosted a special group of visitors for the 2024 African Swine Fever Workshop for the Caribbean.

“We welcomed more than 60 participants from 28 countries who attended the African Swine Fever Workshop, including 40 veterinarians, chief veterinary officers and technical officers from 20 Caribbean countries,” said Jishu Shi, director of the center and professor of vaccine immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The primary goal of this workshop is to establish a sustainable platform that effectively enhances African swine fever surveillance capacity across the Americas.”

Activities in the workshop, which was held from June 24 to 28, included updates on ASF virus research, hands-on training of diagnostic tests and training on how to use the “Lateral Flow ASF Dx” kit and a seminar on science-based rapid response options for the prevention and control of ASF. Participants were given tours of the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Biosecurity Research Institute and K-State Olathe.

Researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine gave several presentations including Shi, Laura Miller, Stephen Higgs, Roman Pogranichniy, Lihua Wang, Rachel Madera and Lance Noll.

Guest presenters included Linda Dixon, Pirbright Institute, UK; Eun-Ju Sohn, BioApp, South Korea; Llilianne Ganges, Animal Health Research Center at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, or CReSA-IRTA, Spain; Quang Lam Truong, Vietnam National University of Agriculture; Homer Pantua, BioAssets Corporation, Philippines; Dang Vu Hoang, National Institute of Veterinary Research, Vietnam; and To Long Thanh, Vietnam National University of Agriculture.

Co-organizers of the workshop included Beth Montelone, senior associate vice president for research at Kansas State University; Zackery Tipton, program manager with USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, Eric Coleman, program policy adviser, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Ericka Calderon, specialist with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

“We are deeply grateful for the partnership and support from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, K-State Olathe, Biosecurity Research Institute and KSVDL,” Shi said.