A putative topoisomerase II gene of African swine fever virus was mapped using a degenerate oligonucleotide probe derived from a region highly conserved in type II topoisomerases. The gene is located within EcoRI fragments P and H of the African swine fever virus genome. Sequencing of this region has revealed a long open reading frame, designated P1192R, encoding a protein of 1192 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 135,543. Open reading frame P1192R is transcribed late after infection into a 4.6-kb RNA. The deduced amino acid sequence of this open reading frame shares significant similarity with topoisomerase II sequences from different sources, with percentages of identity between 23 and 29%. The evolutionary relationships among the topoisomerase II sequences of ASF virus, eukaryotes and prokaryotes were analyzed and a phylogenetic tree was established. The tree indicates that the ASF virus topoisomerase II gene was present in the virus genome before protozoa, yeasts, and metazoa diverged.