6.5.2 Tick-pig cycle
The maintenance of the tick-pig cycle can be related to the sylvatic
cycle in regions where natural reservoirs of the virus are present and
ticks serve as a transmitting medium to the domestic population from the
wild reservoir habitat (Chenais et al., 2019). This cycle can still be
maintained by transboundary migration of ticks harbouring the virus and
allowing it to persist locally in the environment. The distribution of
soft ticks across the world is not limited to a certain bio-geographic
region and has been found in new ecological environment by the
dissemination of immature phases by migratory birds and other climatic
factors (Manzano-Roman et al., 2012). Dissemination of soft ticks from
the neighbouring countries with similar climatic, socio-economic and
demographic characteristics will always pose a threat for future
emergence of ASF in India. Therefore, investigations related to soft
tick distribution modelling in country is extremely crucial to prevent
disease outbreaks.