Endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (elephantid herpesvirus 1; ElHV-1)
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:06 am
After our Houston baby Elephant, Mac passed away this past week, I wrote to the Zoo about the use of Homeopathy, as there is NO medical answer to this problem.
They wrote back this morning, sound interested and said they'd pass it along to their Vets know about the communication. They thanked me for writing and suggesting it. I feel it's a windo of opportunity, as all of their elephants have it, but the babys are born with it and the Houston Zoo has lost 6 in the past several years. This one, Mac was so personable that it was a huge emotional trauma as everyone loved him.
Don't know if anyone has any ideas on this case. We know it's Herpes, but it has a fatal haemorrhagic aspect to it. Snake Venom? Would something like that work?
This happened so fast. Appeared sick in the morning, dead by night. We typically think of herpes as being just topical sores.
Please write me with some ideas. I will forward them to the Houston Zoo contact. I'd love to see them see some miracles with Homeopathy for this problem, as it might open up lots of good press. They have no hope with mainstream medical, and are really desperate for a "cure".
Thanks!
Jennifer Ruby
HERPESVIRUS, ZOO ELEPHANT - USA (03)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: 16 Nov 2008
Source: NewsOK [edited]
The Houston Zoo's herd of elephants, a huge draw through the years,
could become a thing of the past if a herpesvirus continues to kill
young animals.
None of the 14 calves conceived by the zoo's elephants during the
last 25 years is alive today. Six were stillborn or died during pregnancy.
Eight elephants who were born at the zoo later died, 6 from the
nearly always fatal elephant herpesvirus, prompting a scientific
research team to characterize the zoo as a "hot spot" for the virus.
The virus's most recent victim was Mac, a 2-year-old calf and one of
the zoo's most popular attractions, who died last week.
Among the issues raised by the spate of deaths at the zoo and others
elsewhere is whether captivity plays a role in the virus's
transmission and onset of illness. Some animal welfare groups have
called on zoos to halt breeding programs until a cure is found. And
some zoos, including Houston's, could find themselves with no Asian
elephants to replace aging ones as they die.
''Every year, we have fewer female elephants of reproductive age,"
said Lauren Howard, an associate veterinarian at the zoo. "That is a
huge concern."
The virus is proving lethal to many young Asian elephants, the only
species kept at the zoo. Researchers discovered the virus in 1995,
and while their understanding of it has progressed, they remain
unclear about how it is transmitted and when elephants are exposed to
it. A cure or vaccine is even further off.
The disease is plaguing Asian elephants at many zoos worldwide. In
North America, at least 17 of 41 zoos that are members of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums have been home to an elephant that
died from the herpesvirus or contracted it, according to a report
last year [2007] by In Defense of Animals, a nonprofit organization
that works to protect animals and their natural habitats.
Once the virus is detected, very few elephants have survived. It
causes blood vessels to leak and can cause their hearts to stop.
Death can come quickly; from the 1st day, the virus's effects become
visible out to 5 days later. In Mac's case, his handlers saw signs of
the virus -- lethargy and a swollen head -- the morning of 9 Nov
2008. He died that evening.
Infection with the virus has caused 20 percent of the deaths of Asian
elephants in North American facilities during the last 25 years,
according to the International Elephant Foundation, a nonprofit that
promotes conservation of elephants. The virus is the number one
killer of young elephants in the U.S., according to the National Zoo's
website.
Zoos and other North American facilities hold a small number of the
animals -- 150 African elephants, 141 Asians -- according to the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums. African elephants, a different
species not merely a different breed, have been nearly unaffected by the
virus.
Zoos don't have the option of importing elephants from the wild
because Asian elephants are an endangered species.
Instead, zoos rely on breeding to replace aging elephants. The virus
has hampered many breeding programs since it afflicts mostly young
elephants.
Until recently, some researchers believed the virus was limited to
zoos and other facilities that keep animals, because no cases were
confirmed in wild elephants. Animal welfare groups such as In Defense
of Animals and Born Free USA have questioned whether the stress of
captivity or some other aspect of captive life triggers onset of the
virus or causes it to spread.
Researchers from a Berlin wildlife center and other institutions in
2006 reported that Seima, an Asian elephant born in the wild in
Cambodia, died from the virus.
However, Seima didn't live in the wild for long. Shortly after her
birth, she fell into the hands of traders. Authorities later took her
away from the traders. She was then bottle-reared and lived in an
elephant sanctuary.
The life expectancy for Asian elephants in the wild and at North
American zoos is about 45 years, according to the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums.
Laura Richman, who discovered the virus in 1995 and heads the Indo
Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Lab at the National Zoo in
Washington, D.C., said that in yet-to-be-published papers,
researchers will report the virus has killed other Asian elephants
that lived in the wild.
Richman said she and other researchers now are investigating whether
most or many adult Asian elephants carry the virus, which usually lies
latent.
Adult elephants survive occasional flare-ups. But newborns and
calves, such as 2-year-old Mac, sometimes do not, because their
immune systems haven't completely developed, Richman hypothesizes.
If her theory is correct, Mac may have caught the virus from one of
the 4 other elephants in the maternally-run zoo herd, including his
mom, Shanti and Methai, a surrogate mom.
Methai gave birth to 6 calves. All died, including ones that were
sent to zoos in Berlin, Chicago and Canada. Five of the deaths were
caused by the virus.
Of Shanti's 2 calves, Mac died from the virus. Bella, born in 2004,
died after Shanti rejected her.
In Defense of Animals said other virus hot spots include Dickerson
Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri and Rosamond Gifford Zoo in
Syracuse, New York.
Some stillborn elephants in Europe tested positive for the virus,
leading researchers to believe that their mothers passed it on to
them, according to a 2005 article on the National Zoo's website.
Houston Zoo director Rick Barongi said the 6 failed elephant
pregnancies at the zoo over the last several decades occurred before
1995, when the virus was discovered. The zoo, he said, doesn't know
whether the virus caused the failed pregnancies.
Eric Kleiman, research director at In Defense of Animals, said zoos
should halt breeding programs until they know how the virus is
transmitted and a vaccine or other treatment regimen is developed.
Barongi said, "We know we've got a serious problem here. We know
we're at risk unless we find a cure."
But there is no reason to believe that Mac would have been better off
if he had not spent 2 years living with his mom and learning tricks
taught to him by keepers and receiving their love, said Barongi.
Halting the breeding program, he said, won't find a cure for the
virus. ''What does that get you?" he asked.
[Byline: Bill Murphy ]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
[This is a very complicated situation. If captive breeding promotes
the disease, then there must some situation that makes the elephants
more susceptible or the virus more virulent. Or, is it a case of
biosecurity or cleanliness of something so simple we may not realize
we are promoting the virus? Is it the way we feed them? What we feed
them? How we water them? More research is certainly in order to find
a cure, but time is running out for the elephants. - Mod.TG]
=======================================================================
J Gen Virol. 2006 Oct;87(Pt 10):2781-9. Links
Endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus, the first betaherpesvirus with a thymidine kinase gene.
Ehlers B, Dural G, Marschall M, Schregel V, Goltz M, Hentschke J.
Molekulare Genetik und Epidemiologie von Herpesviren, Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany. ehlersb@rki.de
Endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (elephantid herpesvirus 1; ElHV-1) is apathogenic for African elephants (Loxodonta africana), but causes fatal haemorrhagic disease in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). This is thought to occur through transmission from African elephants in places where both species are housed, such as zoological gardens. The virus has caused considerable losses in North American and European zoological gardens and thus severely impedes breeding of the endangered Asian elephant. Previously, the ultrastructural and genetic characterization of ElHV-1 from a male Asian elephant that died from the disease at the Berlin zoological gardens in 1998 have been reported. Here, a partial characterization of the ElHV-1 genome is presented. A 60 kbp locus, spanning 34 open reading frames, was analysed. Most of the detected genes were found to be conserved among the herpesviruses and showed an overall arrangement most similar to that of betaherpesviruses, in particular Human herpesvirus 6 and Human herpesvirus 7. Most importantly, in addition to a protein kinase gene that is homologous to the human cytomegalovirus UL97 gene, a thymidine kinase (TK) gene was found, which is generally missing in betaherpesvirus genomes. Thus, ElHV-1 is the only known betaherpesvirus to encode a TK gene. This peculiarity might contribute to the fulminant pathogenicity of ElHV-1, but also provide a crucial enzymic activity for developing an efficient antiviral therapy with currently available nucleoside analogues.
PMID: 16963736
free full text at http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/87/10/2781
____________________________
J Gen Virol. 2001 Mar;82(Pt 3):475-82. Links
Genetic and ultrastructural characterization of a European isolate of the fatal endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus.
Ehlers B, Burkhardt S, Goltz M, Bergmann V, Ochs A, Weiler H, Hentschke J.
Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany. EhlersB@RKI.DE
A male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) died at the Berlin zoological gardens in August 1998 of systemic infection with the novel endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (ElHV-1). This virus causes a fatal haemorrhagic disease in Asian elephants, the so-called endothelial inclusion body disease, as reported from North American zoological gardens. In the present work, ElHV-1 was visualized ultrastructurally in affected organ material. Furthermore, a gene block comprising the complete glycoprotein B (gB) and DNA polymerase (DPOL) genes as well as two partial genes was amplified by PCR-based genome walking and sequenced. The gene content and arrangement were similar to those of members of the Betaherpesvirinae. However, phylogenetic analysis with gB and DPOL consistently revealed a very distant relationship to the betaherpesviruses. Therefore, ElHV-1 may be a member of a new genus or even a new herpesvirus subfamily. The sequence information generated was used to set up a nested-PCR assay for diagnosis of suspected cases of endothelial inclusion body disease. Furthermore, it will aid in the development of antibody-based detection methods and of vaccination strategies against this fatal herpesvirus infection in the endangered Asian elephant.
PMID: 11172087
free article at http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/82/3/475
Introduction
An 11-year-old male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) named Kiba died in the Berlin zoological garden in August 1998 of a systemic haemorrhagic disease, which progressed fatally within 24 h. Post-mortem inspection revealed signs of a herpesvirus infection (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ). Similar cases had already been reported in Asian elephants kept in American and European zoos and the syndrome was named endothelial inclusion body disease (Ossent et al., 1990 ; Richman et al., 1996 ). Recently, a novel elephant herpesvirus was identified and evidence was presented that it is associated aetiologically with the fatal endotheliotropic disease. The virus was named endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (Richman et al., 1999 ). In initial experiments on Kiba after his death, we attempted to detect the novel virus, for which we use the designation ElHV-1 (according to the rules of the ICTV; Murphy et al., 1995 ), with a PCR assay that targets the ElHV-1 terminase gene. Sequences were amplified from several organs and the blood that were very similar to those of the American cases (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ). [snip]
Discussion
In this study, we report the first ultrastructural identification of ElHV-1, in an Asian elephant that died from fatal endotheliotropic disease in a European zoo (Fig. 1 ). Furthermore, we present the first extended genetic characterization of this novel herpesvirus species (Figs 2 and 3 ). The observations that herpesvirus particles were abundant in the diseased liver of the elephant, Kiba (Fig. 1 ), and that ElHV-1 DPOL sequences were strongly amplified from liver, heart and serum samples (Fig. 4 ) as well as terminase sequences from additional organs (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ) provided compelling evidence that we had observed an acute herpesvirus infection and, therefore, that ElHV-1 was the aetiological agent in Kiba’s fatal endotheliotropic disease. [snip]
A sensitive nested-PCR assay was developed for the detection of ElHV-1. This assay can be used by zoological gardens to control suspected cases of endothelial inclusion body disease in their elephant herds, as demonstrated by the post-mortem analysis of Kiba and the analysis of serum from his offspring, Plai Kiri, and other Asian elephants at the Berlin zoo (Fig. 4 ). Detection of viraemia by PCR at an early stage of the disease could verify the clinical diagnosis of endothelial inclusion body disease and allow a timely attempt at treatment with an anti-herpesvirus drug, as was reported by Schmitt & Hardy (1998) , who successfully used famciclovir in the treatment of a herpesvirus-infected, clinically ill Asian elephant. However, routine PCR analysis of blood of healthy elephants is probably not feasible, because detection of ElHV-1 in the blood might simply indicate latent virus in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and not an acute disease process. Since the ability to establish a latent state is a general feature of herpesviruses of all three subfamilies (Stanberry, 1986 ; Stevens, 1989 ), this must also be assumed for ElHV-1. The nested-PCR assay presented in this study will help to identify such sites of ElHV latency. Preliminary analyses of PBL samples from the herd in Berlin (data not shown) revealed no evidence of ElHV-1 latency in PBL. However, this issue requires additional testing of Asian elephants from other locations.
Finally, the identification of the gB gene offers the opportunity to develop an ElHV-specific ELISA and other antibody-based detection methods that can aid in the diagnosis of the disease and detection of carrier animals. Furthermore, vaccination strategies by DNA immunization with a gB-recombinant expression vector or by infection with gB-expressing recombinant viruses can be envisaged, providing a potential tool for the protection of the endangered Asian elephant.
Note added in proof. Kiri, the offspring of Kiba, died on 28 December 2000, after an overnight peracute course of illness of only approximately 6 h. Pathological inspection showed multiple organ alterations very similar to those of Kiba. All organs analysed by nested PCR were strongly ElHV-1-positive, including liver, heart, kidney, intestine and blood. In addition, herpesvirus-like particles were found by electron microscopy.
Health, Hope, Joy & Healing :
May you Prosper, even as your Soul Prospers 3John 2
Jennifer Ruby
Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.
http://www.rubysemporium.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SymphonicHealth
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Therapeutic-Laser_Therapy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Reversingautism
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOTA_LightWorks/
http://www.lazrpulsr.com
______________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
They wrote back this morning, sound interested and said they'd pass it along to their Vets know about the communication. They thanked me for writing and suggesting it. I feel it's a windo of opportunity, as all of their elephants have it, but the babys are born with it and the Houston Zoo has lost 6 in the past several years. This one, Mac was so personable that it was a huge emotional trauma as everyone loved him.
Don't know if anyone has any ideas on this case. We know it's Herpes, but it has a fatal haemorrhagic aspect to it. Snake Venom? Would something like that work?
This happened so fast. Appeared sick in the morning, dead by night. We typically think of herpes as being just topical sores.
Please write me with some ideas. I will forward them to the Houston Zoo contact. I'd love to see them see some miracles with Homeopathy for this problem, as it might open up lots of good press. They have no hope with mainstream medical, and are really desperate for a "cure".
Thanks!
Jennifer Ruby
HERPESVIRUS, ZOO ELEPHANT - USA (03)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: 16 Nov 2008
Source: NewsOK [edited]
The Houston Zoo's herd of elephants, a huge draw through the years,
could become a thing of the past if a herpesvirus continues to kill
young animals.
None of the 14 calves conceived by the zoo's elephants during the
last 25 years is alive today. Six were stillborn or died during pregnancy.
Eight elephants who were born at the zoo later died, 6 from the
nearly always fatal elephant herpesvirus, prompting a scientific
research team to characterize the zoo as a "hot spot" for the virus.
The virus's most recent victim was Mac, a 2-year-old calf and one of
the zoo's most popular attractions, who died last week.
Among the issues raised by the spate of deaths at the zoo and others
elsewhere is whether captivity plays a role in the virus's
transmission and onset of illness. Some animal welfare groups have
called on zoos to halt breeding programs until a cure is found. And
some zoos, including Houston's, could find themselves with no Asian
elephants to replace aging ones as they die.
''Every year, we have fewer female elephants of reproductive age,"
said Lauren Howard, an associate veterinarian at the zoo. "That is a
huge concern."
The virus is proving lethal to many young Asian elephants, the only
species kept at the zoo. Researchers discovered the virus in 1995,
and while their understanding of it has progressed, they remain
unclear about how it is transmitted and when elephants are exposed to
it. A cure or vaccine is even further off.
The disease is plaguing Asian elephants at many zoos worldwide. In
North America, at least 17 of 41 zoos that are members of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums have been home to an elephant that
died from the herpesvirus or contracted it, according to a report
last year [2007] by In Defense of Animals, a nonprofit organization
that works to protect animals and their natural habitats.
Once the virus is detected, very few elephants have survived. It
causes blood vessels to leak and can cause their hearts to stop.
Death can come quickly; from the 1st day, the virus's effects become
visible out to 5 days later. In Mac's case, his handlers saw signs of
the virus -- lethargy and a swollen head -- the morning of 9 Nov
2008. He died that evening.
Infection with the virus has caused 20 percent of the deaths of Asian
elephants in North American facilities during the last 25 years,
according to the International Elephant Foundation, a nonprofit that
promotes conservation of elephants. The virus is the number one
killer of young elephants in the U.S., according to the National Zoo's
website.
Zoos and other North American facilities hold a small number of the
animals -- 150 African elephants, 141 Asians -- according to the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums. African elephants, a different
species not merely a different breed, have been nearly unaffected by the
virus.
Zoos don't have the option of importing elephants from the wild
because Asian elephants are an endangered species.
Instead, zoos rely on breeding to replace aging elephants. The virus
has hampered many breeding programs since it afflicts mostly young
elephants.
Until recently, some researchers believed the virus was limited to
zoos and other facilities that keep animals, because no cases were
confirmed in wild elephants. Animal welfare groups such as In Defense
of Animals and Born Free USA have questioned whether the stress of
captivity or some other aspect of captive life triggers onset of the
virus or causes it to spread.
Researchers from a Berlin wildlife center and other institutions in
2006 reported that Seima, an Asian elephant born in the wild in
Cambodia, died from the virus.
However, Seima didn't live in the wild for long. Shortly after her
birth, she fell into the hands of traders. Authorities later took her
away from the traders. She was then bottle-reared and lived in an
elephant sanctuary.
The life expectancy for Asian elephants in the wild and at North
American zoos is about 45 years, according to the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums.
Laura Richman, who discovered the virus in 1995 and heads the Indo
Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Lab at the National Zoo in
Washington, D.C., said that in yet-to-be-published papers,
researchers will report the virus has killed other Asian elephants
that lived in the wild.
Richman said she and other researchers now are investigating whether
most or many adult Asian elephants carry the virus, which usually lies
latent.
Adult elephants survive occasional flare-ups. But newborns and
calves, such as 2-year-old Mac, sometimes do not, because their
immune systems haven't completely developed, Richman hypothesizes.
If her theory is correct, Mac may have caught the virus from one of
the 4 other elephants in the maternally-run zoo herd, including his
mom, Shanti and Methai, a surrogate mom.
Methai gave birth to 6 calves. All died, including ones that were
sent to zoos in Berlin, Chicago and Canada. Five of the deaths were
caused by the virus.
Of Shanti's 2 calves, Mac died from the virus. Bella, born in 2004,
died after Shanti rejected her.
In Defense of Animals said other virus hot spots include Dickerson
Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri and Rosamond Gifford Zoo in
Syracuse, New York.
Some stillborn elephants in Europe tested positive for the virus,
leading researchers to believe that their mothers passed it on to
them, according to a 2005 article on the National Zoo's website.
Houston Zoo director Rick Barongi said the 6 failed elephant
pregnancies at the zoo over the last several decades occurred before
1995, when the virus was discovered. The zoo, he said, doesn't know
whether the virus caused the failed pregnancies.
Eric Kleiman, research director at In Defense of Animals, said zoos
should halt breeding programs until they know how the virus is
transmitted and a vaccine or other treatment regimen is developed.
Barongi said, "We know we've got a serious problem here. We know
we're at risk unless we find a cure."
But there is no reason to believe that Mac would have been better off
if he had not spent 2 years living with his mom and learning tricks
taught to him by keepers and receiving their love, said Barongi.
Halting the breeding program, he said, won't find a cure for the
virus. ''What does that get you?" he asked.
[Byline: Bill Murphy ]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
[This is a very complicated situation. If captive breeding promotes
the disease, then there must some situation that makes the elephants
more susceptible or the virus more virulent. Or, is it a case of
biosecurity or cleanliness of something so simple we may not realize
we are promoting the virus? Is it the way we feed them? What we feed
them? How we water them? More research is certainly in order to find
a cure, but time is running out for the elephants. - Mod.TG]
=======================================================================
J Gen Virol. 2006 Oct;87(Pt 10):2781-9. Links
Endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus, the first betaherpesvirus with a thymidine kinase gene.
Ehlers B, Dural G, Marschall M, Schregel V, Goltz M, Hentschke J.
Molekulare Genetik und Epidemiologie von Herpesviren, Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany. ehlersb@rki.de
Endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (elephantid herpesvirus 1; ElHV-1) is apathogenic for African elephants (Loxodonta africana), but causes fatal haemorrhagic disease in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). This is thought to occur through transmission from African elephants in places where both species are housed, such as zoological gardens. The virus has caused considerable losses in North American and European zoological gardens and thus severely impedes breeding of the endangered Asian elephant. Previously, the ultrastructural and genetic characterization of ElHV-1 from a male Asian elephant that died from the disease at the Berlin zoological gardens in 1998 have been reported. Here, a partial characterization of the ElHV-1 genome is presented. A 60 kbp locus, spanning 34 open reading frames, was analysed. Most of the detected genes were found to be conserved among the herpesviruses and showed an overall arrangement most similar to that of betaherpesviruses, in particular Human herpesvirus 6 and Human herpesvirus 7. Most importantly, in addition to a protein kinase gene that is homologous to the human cytomegalovirus UL97 gene, a thymidine kinase (TK) gene was found, which is generally missing in betaherpesvirus genomes. Thus, ElHV-1 is the only known betaherpesvirus to encode a TK gene. This peculiarity might contribute to the fulminant pathogenicity of ElHV-1, but also provide a crucial enzymic activity for developing an efficient antiviral therapy with currently available nucleoside analogues.
PMID: 16963736
free full text at http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/87/10/2781
____________________________
J Gen Virol. 2001 Mar;82(Pt 3):475-82. Links
Genetic and ultrastructural characterization of a European isolate of the fatal endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus.
Ehlers B, Burkhardt S, Goltz M, Bergmann V, Ochs A, Weiler H, Hentschke J.
Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany. EhlersB@RKI.DE
A male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) died at the Berlin zoological gardens in August 1998 of systemic infection with the novel endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (ElHV-1). This virus causes a fatal haemorrhagic disease in Asian elephants, the so-called endothelial inclusion body disease, as reported from North American zoological gardens. In the present work, ElHV-1 was visualized ultrastructurally in affected organ material. Furthermore, a gene block comprising the complete glycoprotein B (gB) and DNA polymerase (DPOL) genes as well as two partial genes was amplified by PCR-based genome walking and sequenced. The gene content and arrangement were similar to those of members of the Betaherpesvirinae. However, phylogenetic analysis with gB and DPOL consistently revealed a very distant relationship to the betaherpesviruses. Therefore, ElHV-1 may be a member of a new genus or even a new herpesvirus subfamily. The sequence information generated was used to set up a nested-PCR assay for diagnosis of suspected cases of endothelial inclusion body disease. Furthermore, it will aid in the development of antibody-based detection methods and of vaccination strategies against this fatal herpesvirus infection in the endangered Asian elephant.
PMID: 11172087
free article at http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/82/3/475
Introduction
An 11-year-old male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) named Kiba died in the Berlin zoological garden in August 1998 of a systemic haemorrhagic disease, which progressed fatally within 24 h. Post-mortem inspection revealed signs of a herpesvirus infection (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ). Similar cases had already been reported in Asian elephants kept in American and European zoos and the syndrome was named endothelial inclusion body disease (Ossent et al., 1990 ; Richman et al., 1996 ). Recently, a novel elephant herpesvirus was identified and evidence was presented that it is associated aetiologically with the fatal endotheliotropic disease. The virus was named endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (Richman et al., 1999 ). In initial experiments on Kiba after his death, we attempted to detect the novel virus, for which we use the designation ElHV-1 (according to the rules of the ICTV; Murphy et al., 1995 ), with a PCR assay that targets the ElHV-1 terminase gene. Sequences were amplified from several organs and the blood that were very similar to those of the American cases (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ). [snip]
Discussion
In this study, we report the first ultrastructural identification of ElHV-1, in an Asian elephant that died from fatal endotheliotropic disease in a European zoo (Fig. 1 ). Furthermore, we present the first extended genetic characterization of this novel herpesvirus species (Figs 2 and 3 ). The observations that herpesvirus particles were abundant in the diseased liver of the elephant, Kiba (Fig. 1 ), and that ElHV-1 DPOL sequences were strongly amplified from liver, heart and serum samples (Fig. 4 ) as well as terminase sequences from additional organs (Burkhardt et al., 1999 ) provided compelling evidence that we had observed an acute herpesvirus infection and, therefore, that ElHV-1 was the aetiological agent in Kiba’s fatal endotheliotropic disease. [snip]
A sensitive nested-PCR assay was developed for the detection of ElHV-1. This assay can be used by zoological gardens to control suspected cases of endothelial inclusion body disease in their elephant herds, as demonstrated by the post-mortem analysis of Kiba and the analysis of serum from his offspring, Plai Kiri, and other Asian elephants at the Berlin zoo (Fig. 4 ). Detection of viraemia by PCR at an early stage of the disease could verify the clinical diagnosis of endothelial inclusion body disease and allow a timely attempt at treatment with an anti-herpesvirus drug, as was reported by Schmitt & Hardy (1998) , who successfully used famciclovir in the treatment of a herpesvirus-infected, clinically ill Asian elephant. However, routine PCR analysis of blood of healthy elephants is probably not feasible, because detection of ElHV-1 in the blood might simply indicate latent virus in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and not an acute disease process. Since the ability to establish a latent state is a general feature of herpesviruses of all three subfamilies (Stanberry, 1986 ; Stevens, 1989 ), this must also be assumed for ElHV-1. The nested-PCR assay presented in this study will help to identify such sites of ElHV latency. Preliminary analyses of PBL samples from the herd in Berlin (data not shown) revealed no evidence of ElHV-1 latency in PBL. However, this issue requires additional testing of Asian elephants from other locations.
Finally, the identification of the gB gene offers the opportunity to develop an ElHV-specific ELISA and other antibody-based detection methods that can aid in the diagnosis of the disease and detection of carrier animals. Furthermore, vaccination strategies by DNA immunization with a gB-recombinant expression vector or by infection with gB-expressing recombinant viruses can be envisaged, providing a potential tool for the protection of the endangered Asian elephant.
Note added in proof. Kiri, the offspring of Kiba, died on 28 December 2000, after an overnight peracute course of illness of only approximately 6 h. Pathological inspection showed multiple organ alterations very similar to those of Kiba. All organs analysed by nested PCR were strongly ElHV-1-positive, including liver, heart, kidney, intestine and blood. In addition, herpesvirus-like particles were found by electron microscopy.
Health, Hope, Joy & Healing :
May you Prosper, even as your Soul Prospers 3John 2
Jennifer Ruby
Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.
http://www.rubysemporium.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SymphonicHealth
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Therapeutic-Laser_Therapy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Reversingautism
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOTA_LightWorks/
http://www.lazrpulsr.com
______________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯