I think I agree.
Chester Zoo Virus Kills Young Elephant
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I think I agree.
Gary Hayward
New Member
Researcher responds to some of the above comments.
Sadly,there have been five confirmed cases in the UK since 2002. Yes, a few cases have been documented in African elephants but not many -- the most recent was in a young calf that had an acute viremia associated with another new species of the virus that we had not seen before (EEHV6), but fortunately she survived after FCV treatment.
The problem in the wild is already serious: I know of up to 22 reasonably well documented deaths from acute hemorrhagic disease in elephant calves in Asia, including both orphans and in free-ranging wild herds. We did not know previously because no one was looking out for or collecting necropsy samples from sudden deaths, but now the word is beginning to get out. These cases have occurred in India, Thailand, Cambodia and Sumatra, with at least half of them having now been confirmed by DNA PCR tests as being EEHV1. It is the same disease with the same pathology and high levels of the same predominant virus species as found in most of the North American and European Zoo cases.
We have carried out genetic "footprinting" tests on the viruses from 25 cases in North America and found that only two were with the same identical epidemiologically related EEHV1B strain. Most of the rest were different strains of EEHV1A or occasionally one of the more distantly related species (EEHV2 though to EEHV6). Therefore, these viruses were transmitted from numerous other source animals, most likely carrier adult herdmates that survived primary infections when they were young.
There is nothing unexpected about elephants having their own set of herpesviruses, only about why so many young Asian calves (20%) have been susceptible to devastating primary infections with EEHV1. Quite likely which other EEHV species the infants and their mothers have already been exposed to or not and have or have not developed protective antibodies against plays a significant role.
Unfortunately, only a very small amount of research funding has ever been dedicated to this problem, mostly through the International Elephant Foundation. But at least some scientific research is underway, primarily by a small handful of dedicated "volunteer" virologists attempting to grow these viruses in cell culture or to develop better DNA and immunological reagents or serological assays, and by those zoo and field veterinarians who have responded to requests to collect the needed appropriate clinical samples of blood, serum, skin and lung nodules, and necropsy tissue, so that the distant prospects of a vaccine might eventually come to fruition.
Sadly,there have been five confirmed cases in the UK since 2002. Yes, a few cases have been documented in African elephants but not many -- the most recent was in a young calf that had an acute viremia associated with another new species of the virus that we had not seen before (EEHV6), but fortunately she survived after FCV treatment.
The problem in the wild is already serious: I know of up to 22 reasonably well documented deaths from acute hemorrhagic disease in elephant calves in Asia, including both orphans and in free-ranging wild herds. We did not know previously because no one was looking out for or collecting necropsy samples from sudden deaths, but now the word is beginning to get out. These cases have occurred in India, Thailand, Cambodia and Sumatra, with at least half of them having now been confirmed by DNA PCR tests as being EEHV1. It is the same disease with the same pathology and high levels of the same predominant virus species as found in most of the North American and European Zoo cases.
We have carried out genetic "footprinting" tests on the viruses from 25 cases in North America and found that only two were with the same identical epidemiologically related EEHV1B strain. Most of the rest were different strains of EEHV1A or occasionally one of the more distantly related species (EEHV2 though to EEHV6). Therefore, these viruses were transmitted from numerous other source animals, most likely carrier adult herdmates that survived primary infections when they were young.
There is nothing unexpected about elephants having their own set of herpesviruses, only about why so many young Asian calves (20%) have been susceptible to devastating primary infections with EEHV1. Quite likely which other EEHV species the infants and their mothers have already been exposed to or not and have or have not developed protective antibodies against plays a significant role.
Unfortunately, only a very small amount of research funding has ever been dedicated to this problem, mostly through the International Elephant Foundation. But at least some scientific research is underway, primarily by a small handful of dedicated "volunteer" virologists attempting to grow these viruses in cell culture or to develop better DNA and immunological reagents or serological assays, and by those zoo and field veterinarians who have responded to requests to collect the needed appropriate clinical samples of blood, serum, skin and lung nodules, and necropsy tissue, so that the distant prospects of a vaccine might eventually come to fruition.
