EEHV Vaccine Trial

Crowthorne

Crowthorne

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A new vaccine for deadly EEHV (Elephant Endotheliotrophic Herpes Virus) is to begin a trial at Chester Zoo in the UK, with assistance from the University of Surrey. If the trials are successful the vaccine would be invaluable for zoos worldwide and for wild elephant populations.

The virus was discovered in 1990 and formally characterised in 1999 by researchers at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington DC. They linked 10 cases of a "highly fatal haemorrhagic disease" in young Asian and African elephants in zoos. In each case, they found "herpes virus-like particles" in cells of dead elephants' hearts, livers and tongues.

Since then, the virus has been a zoo's worst nightmare. A recent study, led by Berlin-based veterinary scientist Sonia Jesus Fontes, calculated that it had caused 52% of the deaths of Asian elephants in European zoos since 1985. In North American zoos, it accounted for 50% of deaths since 1980.

It has now been detected in sanctuaries, safari parks and, more worryingly, in wild elephant herds in nine countries.
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Groups of researchers around the world study EEHV, but Chester Zoo is now taking an important step with the vaccine trial, as the lead scientist behind its development, Prof Falko Steinbach from the University of Surrey, explains.
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Full article here: Vaccine trial for killer elephant virus begins
 
Chester would do well to cooperate with Artis - Amsterdam Zoo too. A few fatalities have occured here too, but we also got a surviving elephant calf recovering from the EEHV disease.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Chester would do well to cooperate with Artis - Amsterdam Zoo too. A few fatalities have occured here too, but we also got a surviving elephant calf recovering from the EEHV disease.
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One of Chester's elephants (Indali) is also an EEHV survivor.
 
Aside, the European studbook holder Rotterdam Blijdorp had also started an EEHV research program. .
SOURCE: Onderzoek Veterinair - Diergaarde Blijdorp

Further zoos or facilities I believe Pairi Daizi and the Berlin IZW are also active on it.
SOURCES:
Steun het onderzoek en bescherm de olifanten tegen de verwoestende herpes
Herpesviren mit einem ungewöhnlich breiten Wirtsspektrum - Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
https://www.researchgate.net/public...an_elephants_Elephas_maximus_in_European_zoos
Stiftung Hagenbeck

BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES:
https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/CCC/BPG-2020/Elephant-TAG-BPG-2020.pdf

Essentially, what I am saying nothing should be done in isolation.
 
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If this is effective, not only would this make life better for the elephants of the zoo, but also those of the wild as well -
I'm intrigued to see how this will turn out !
 
Zoo-Lover-1-2-3 said:
The first elephant anti eehv vaccine has been administered to asian elephant female “Tess” at the Houston Zoo.
Zoo eehv elephant vaccine
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Though still very much in the trial phase, I really hope the vaccine proves effective and they can progress to one day rolling it out to the global captive population. Given so many captive elephants have been lost to this devastating disease, a vaccine can’t come soon enough and this is truly a groundbreaking step in the right direction.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Though still very much in the trial phase, I really hope the vaccine proves effective and they can progress to one day rolling it out to the global captive population. Given so many captive elephants have been lost to this devastating disease, a vaccine can’t come soon enough and this is truly a groundbreaking step in the right direction.
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Yes I agree. If it works well, then Dublin Zoo could really use some of it about now with 10 year old elephant Samiya also testing positive for eehv alongside 17 year old Asha.
 
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