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HOUSTON – A 1 year old Asian elephant calf at the Houston Zoo has recently successfully completed a treatment for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus.
Joy's treatment began on April 4, when caregivers noticed that his blood was indicative of the active virus, the zoo said.
"The EEHV virus can cause serious illness in elephants, mostly between one and eight years," the zoo said in a statement. "In its most severe form, the virus can cause a rapidly evolving haemorrhagic or hemorrhagic disease that can be fatal, usually within 1 to 5 days of the onset of the signs of the disease."
Joy and her mother, Shanti, joined the herd of elephants after the treatment.
"We are confident that the treatment protocol adopted by our incredible team has worked, but Joy's immune system will be vulnerable over the next two weeks. We will continue to monitor her closely, as well as the rest of the herd, "said Dr. Christine Molter, veterinarian at the Houston Zoo. "At this point, Joy is improving and the rate of virus in his blood has gone down."
Joy received 24-hour care from April 4th to 12th. Treatment included antiviral drugs, blood and plasma transfusions, and other supportive therapies.
The EEHV is naturally carried by elephants from Asia and Africa. Herpesviruses are common in all mammalian species, including humans. Herpes viruses are species-specific and the EEHV virus is not transmissible to humans or other animals. Like other herpes viruses, EEHV can become latent (hidden) in the host and can be removed periodically, which is normal.
When calves are exposed to an EEV strain for the first time, before their immune system is fully developed to treat the virus, they may become ill, whereas adult elephants that have already been exposed to the virus usually do not. not.
All elephants in the Houston Zoo herd are routinely screened for EEV.
Currently, no other elephant has shown signs of illness, but zoo staff will continue to be persistent and vigilant in its efforts to monitor EEHV.
Copyright 2019 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
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