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.