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Now that her health is on the rise and her treatment is over, Joy and her mother Shanti have joined the herd of elephants. You can see it every day at McNair Elephant Habitat, Houston Zoo.
"We are confident that the treatment protocol adopted by our incredible team has worked, but Joy's immune system will be vulnerable for 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. "Right now, Joy is improving and the rate of virus in his blood has gone down."
However, there are several strains of EEHV. Joy's current illness was caused by EEHV1a, but she is still susceptible to other strains. Even after her complete healing, Joy will be systematically monitored for signs of other strains of the EEHV virus.
At the height of her illness, Joy presented significant clinical signs and received 24-hour care from Thursday, April 4th to Friday, April 12th from guards and the zoo's veterinary team. His intensive treatment protocol included antiviral drugs, blood and plasma transfusions, and other supportive therapies. The Houston Zoo has also received considerable support from colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, with whom the zoo has a long-term relationship, as well as the local community and the elephant community in general.
The EEHV is a herpesvirus 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 can become ill; while adult elephants who have already seen the virus do not usually do so. All elephants in the Houston Zoo herd are routinely screened for EEV, including Joy. 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.
EHV is the most devastating viral disease in elephants in the world. It occurs in elephants in nature as well as in humans, as in sanctuaries and zoos. The Houston Zoo is an integral part of the search for treatments and the development of virus management strategies. Veterinarians and the zoo's elephant care team established a research collaboration in 2009 with Dr. Paul Ling, herpes virologist, in the department of virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, which registered significant advances in the study of the EEVV virus and vaccination.
Houston Zoo's EEHV testing methods, treatment protocols, and experience serve as a global resource for elephant care and have helped save elephant calves around the world. Last month, the Houston Zoo hosted nearly 100 researchers, veterinarians, virologists, scientists, elephant care specialists and conservation specialists at the two-year EEHV workshop in North America. By sharing information on a global scale, the elephant conservation and care community is finding ways to reduce the devastating impact of EEHV.
Additional information about this virus, including current and ongoing research, is available on EEHVinfo.org.
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