**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** RAPID AND EARLY DETECTION MEASURES ARE EXTREMELY ESSENTIAL AND USEFUL FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OFAFRICAN SWINE FEVER (ASF) BEFORE A SAFE AND EFFICACIOUS ASFVACCINE IS DEVELOPED AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL DEVELOP COMPETITIVEENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAYS(CELISAS) TO TEST EARLY ANTIBODIES INDUCED BY AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS (ASFV) INFECTION BY USING OUR UNIQUE ANTI-ASFV MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES. WE WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL MULTIPLEX REAL-TIME PCR ASSAYS FOR ACCURATE AND RELIABLE DETECTION OF EMERGING ASFV VARIANTS. IN ADDITION, WE WILL SECURE CLINICAL SAMPLES FROM FIELD PIGS NATURALLY INFECTED WITH ASFV IN CURRENT ASF-AFFECTED COUNTRIES TO VALIDATE THE ASF DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS DEVELOPED BY US AND OTHERS. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL REDUCE THE IMPACT OF ASF, THE HIGHLY LETHAL AND CONTAGIOUS TRANSBOUNDARY FOREIGN SWINE DISEASE, ON THE U.S. SWINE PRODUCTION SYSTEM. THE RESEARCH WILL NOT ONLY DEVELOP NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR ASF CONTROL AND PREVENTION, BUT ALSO POSITION THE BIOSECURITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (BRI) AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY (KSU) AS THE LEADING INSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES WITH UNIQUE RESOURCES FOR VALIDATION OF ASF DIAGNOSTIC ASSAYS.