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National officials probing the recent African swine fever incident in Catalonia are now exploring the chance that the virus could have escaped from a scientific laboratory. Their focus has shifted to five nearby facilities as potential points of origin.

Confirmed Cases and Economic Stakes

A total of thirteen cases of the fever have been identified in feral pigs in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November. This has led the country – the EU’s largest pork exporter – to rush to control the outbreak before it escalates into a significant threat to the country's multi-billion euro pig meat export industry.

Evolving Theories of Origin

Initially, regional authorities suspected the outbreak started after a wild boar consumed infected food imported from abroad – possibly a discarded food item from a truck driver.

However, the national ministry of agriculture has opened a new investigation after determining that the variant of the virus detected in the dead boars in the region is not the same as the one reported to be circulating in other European countries. Investigative findings suggest the identified virus is instead similar to one detected in Georgia in the year 2007.

"This finding of a strain like the one that was present in that country does not, therefore, exclude the possibility that its source is a biological containment laboratory," stated the ministry.

Research Link Examined

The 'Georgia-2007' viral strain is a 'reference' pathogen commonly used in experimental infections in secure labs to research the virus or to test the effectiveness of vaccines, which are currently being developed. The analysis suggests that the virus may not have started in livestock or animal products from any of the countries where the infection is currently present.

Government Actions and Review

In response, Salvador Illa stated he had instructed the regional research body to carry out an inspection of several laboratories that handle the ASF virus within a 20-kilometer radius of the affected area.

"The regional government isn’t ruling out any scenarios when it comes to the origin of the incident of this disease, but neither is it confirming any," the official stated. "All hypotheses remain on the table. First and foremost, we need to understand what happened."

Current Containment Efforts

The authorities have reported 13 cases of the virus – all of them in dead feral pigs found within 6km of the initial focus. They have said the corpses of an additional 37 animals found in the area have been tested, with every one testing negative for swine fever. Experts sent to the 39 swine operations within the 20km radius have found no sign of the illness there. More than 100 members from the nation's emergency response forces have additionally been sent to the region to assist police officers and wildlife rangers.

Worldwide Context of African Swine Fever

Long native to Africa, African swine fever is not dangerous to humans but frequently deadly to pigs. In 2018, the disease turned up in China, which is has about half of the world’s pigs. By the following year, there were concerns that as many as 100 million animals had been culled or died. Subsequently, the pathogen was confirmed to be in Germany, a country with one of the EU’s largest pig farming industries.

The Country's Crucial Position in Meat Exports

The nation, which is the EU’s biggest producer of pig meat, sold pork products worth 5.1 billion euros to other EU countries in the previous year, and almost 3.7 billion euros of pig-based goods to destinations outside Europe. Official data show that Spain processed 58 million pigs in 2021 – an increase of 40% from a ten years prior.