New hope for elephants?
Change in testing procedures could help prevent pachyderm deaths
When Malee, a 4-year-old Asian elephant, died in October from the elephant herpes virus, Oklahoma City Zoo veterinarian Jennifer D’Agostino knew the zoo’s testing for the ailment had to be improved.
Malee died from an outbreak of EEHV1A, a deadly strain of the virus. Zoo staff had been monitoring the animal throughout the illness and had been testing her blood to determine the level of infection. But with a 36-hour lag time between blood draw and test results, the exercise proved futile.
“Malee died before we got the original set of test results back,” D’Agostino said.
Staff knew Malee likely had the virus. She ticked all the boxes for symptoms. Mouth sores and lethargy are two signs. She had both. They began treatment with anti-viral medication without an official diagnosis, but by then it was too late.
With the hope of avoiding a similar scenario, the zoo is in the process of purchasing a machine that will allow it to bring all of its EEHV testing in-house making it only the second zoo in the country to have the capability. Blood samples that were once sent by Federal Express to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., will make the short journey from the elephant barn to the zoo’s new hospital.
PCR machines amplify virus DNA in samples making the virus easier to detect. A machine costs about $25,000 and requires another $15,000 worth of materials to operate. A full-time technician also will be hired to handle testing.
The machines can detect the virus in blood samples or trunk washes. The latter requires the elephant to ingest liquid through its trunk and then force out the water into a plastic bag.
Rather than waiting 36 hours for results, zoo staff will now have them in three.
“We’ll be able to be more aggressive earlier,” D’Agostino said. “We know from what happened to Malee that the virus can replicate quickly, and it can kill quickly. When dealing with EEHV, time is a very important factor.”
As it is now, the anticipation of the results is difficult for staff.
“It’s a really long wait for us,” said Nick Newby, assistant curator of large mammals. “We’re on pins and needles for two days until we get the results back. We live at the barn for those two days while we’re monitoring the elephant. So if we can get them back quicker, we’re a little more at ease knowing that we’ve got the results and we know what we’re dealing with.”
‘A good tool for us’
There is no cure for EEHV, but it can be treated with anti-viral medication, stem cells and even blood transfusions, if necessary.
Achara, an Asian elephant born in December 2014, tested positive for EEHV in April, and again on Friday, the zoo announced in a news release.
As was the case in the April incident, the current levels of virus in her blood are low, according to staff, and she is being monitored 24 hours a day while also receiving anti-viral medication.
“We are following a daily treatment protocol that has been successful in other elephants,” zoo Deputy Director Barry Downer said. “Because there is no cure for EEHV — it just goes dormant — we will be vigilantly monitoring her health, as we will the rest of the herd.”
In the April incident, the virus dissipated over a six-week period, but it highlights the dangers elephants face from the virus.
Achara also is entering a phase in her life where she may be most at risk to die from the virus. When elephants are nursing, they receive antibodies from their mother’s milk, but when they stop, it takes some time for their immune systems to adjust, making them more vulnerable.
“Typically, from age 2 to about 8 are when they are most at risk based on what we know now,” D’Agostino said. “The weening time is critical.”
All of the zoo’s five elephants are tested weekly. With the PCR machine, they can be tested as many times as needed, including multiple tests in one day.
“It’s a really good tool for us,” Newby said. “It allows us to do something we couldn’t do before, which is get these results back very quickly which tells us how aggressive we need to be in treating them. It’s a big deal.”
D’Agostino said until the new testing program begins, the elephants will continue to be monitored as they have always been, with samples sent to the National Zoo for testing.