AmbikaFan
Well-Known Member
To be sure, there are multiple strains of EEHV that lay dormant in all calves until that vulnerable time when their own immune system is not quite developed fully and they're drinking less milk and thus benefitting less from hi hi her antibodies. I"be never been clear, however, whether an individual elephant has just one or a plethora of the EEHV viruses lying in wait. Indali is now immune to one, and we know it responds to plasma + Interferon administered at 12-hour intervals. It's perhaps hopeful that calves who have survived have not later relapsed to a different strain. This must either mean elephants may not be born with a full complement of the viruses and may only have to survive a bout with one. The other option is that elephants are born with the full slate of EEHV viruses lying dormant, but that successful treatments with Interferon, which cause the body to destroy viral cells, wipe out all the EEHV cells in that elephant. Interferon is a game changer; it directs the body to produce an army of antiviral cells and fight lethal cells itself, rather than hoping the drug famcyclovir can simply find and kill the virus. With these thoughts in mind, Indali has developed at least resistance to her strain--and I believe possibly more. And the good news for the first time in the world, when the next EEHV case emerges anywhere--even if it's Indali--the protocol of plasma transfusion plus Interferon looks promising for success. I'm really surprised more has not been made of this internationally--it seems to be a bona fide game changer.
Edit PS:. Interferon's function here sounds as if it could be adapted to a prophylactic treatment, and perhaps even a vaccine.
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