African swine fever virus is a large, enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus that is the sole member of the genus Asfivirus within the family Asfarviridae. ASFV is distantly related to virus families of lower eucaryotes including the family Faustoviridae and genus Kaumoebavirus. Together with other viruses that have a replicative stage in the cytoplasm, the Asfarviridae have been classified in the Phylum "Nucleocytoviricota" (ICTV Master Species List 2019.v1).