Researchers have achieved a major advance in creating a novel vaccine to prevent a fatal virus that targets young elephants.
The vaccine, produced by an international scientific group, is designed to stop the severe disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is presently a leading cause of death in young Asian elephants.
In tests that included mature elephants at Chester Zoo, the vaccine was found to be safe and, crucially, to activate part of the body's defenses that assists in combating viruses.
A lead scientist called this as "a landmark moment in our work to safeguard Asian elephants".
It is anticipated that the outcome of this pioneering study will open the door to preventing the fatalities of young elephants from the harmful disease caused by this virus.
Devastating Impact
EEHV has had a especially destructive impact in zoos. At one facility alone, seven baby elephants have died to it over the last decade. It has also been found in natural populations and in some sanctuaries and elephant orphanages.
It causes a haemorrhagic disease - uncontrolled bleeding that can be deadly within 24 hours. It results in death in more than 80% of instances in young elephants.
Comprehending the Danger
Why EEHV can be so dangerous is remains unknown. Many adult elephants carry the virus - apparently with no adverse effects on their well-being. But it is thought that juvenile elephants are particularly susceptible when they are being weaned, and when the protective defenses from the maternal nutrition decrease.
At this stage, a young elephant's natural defenses is in a precarious state and it can become overpowered. "It can cause really severe disease," a lead conservation scientist explained.
"It impacts elephants in nature, but we don't have an exact number of how many fatalities in total it has resulted in. For elephants in captivity though, there have been over a hundred deaths."
Immunization Creation
The scientific group, led by animal health experts, developed the novel vaccine using a tried and tested "scaffold". Basically, the basic structure of this vaccine is the same to one routinely used to vaccinate elephants against a virus called cowpox.
The researchers incorporated this vaccine structure with proteins from EEHV - non-infectious bits of the virus that the animal's immune system might identify and respond to.
In a pioneering experiment, the team tested the novel vaccine in three healthy, mature elephants at the zoo, then examined blood samples from the innoculated animals.
The lead researcher stated that the results, released in a scientific journal, were "better than we had hoped for".
"They showed, clearly that the vaccine was able to stimulate the generation of immune cells, that are crucial to fighting viral infections."
Next Phases
The next step for the scientists is to try the vaccine in more juvenile elephants, which are the animals most vulnerable to severe illness.
The present immunization requires multiple shots to be given, so another aim is to work out if the equivalent effective amount can be provided in a simpler way - possibly with fewer jabs.
The conservation scientist explained: "Ultimately we aim to use this vaccine in the elephants that are in danger, so we need to make sure that we can get it to where it's necessary."
The project lead added: "We think this is a major advancement, and not just solely for the elephants, but because it also demonstrates that you can develop and use vaccines to assist threatened animals."
