Vaccine breakthrough for deadly elephant virus

Researchers made a breakthrough in the development of a new vaccine to prevent a deadly virus that affects young elephants.

The vaccine, performed by an international research group, is aimed at preventing a serious illness caused by an elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is currently the main cause of death in young Asian elephants.

In the tests in which adult elephants in the zoo in Chester, it was found that the vaccine is safe and, most importantly, activate part of the immune system that helps to fight viruses.

Professor Falko Steinbach from the British Agency for the Health of Animals and Plants (APHA) and the University of Surrey, said that this is “a significant moment in our work to protect Asian elephants.”

It should be hoped that the result of this first study will lay the way to prevent the death of young elephants from a dangerous disease caused by this virus.

EEHV had a particularly destructive effect in zoos. Over the past decade, seven babies died in the Chester Zoo alone. It was also found in herds of wild elephants and in some sanctuaries and shelters of elephants.

This causes a hemorrhagic disease – uncontrolled bleeding, which can be fatal within 24 hours. This leads to death in more than 80% of cases in youth elephants.

Why EEHV can be so dangerous is still unknown. Many adult elephants carry the virus – in the visible, without negative impact on their health. But it is believed that young calves are especially vulnerable when they are excommunicated, and when antibodies to immunity from reducing mother's milk.

At this stage, the calf’s immune system is in a thin balance and can become overloaded. “This can cause a really serious illness,” said BBC News, d -ry Edwards, a scientist -preservation in Chester.

“This affects wild elephants, but we do not have the exact number of how many deaths it caused. For elephants in caring for a person [in zoos and sanctuaries] Although there were more than 100 deaths. “

The research group, headed by veterinary scientists from the University of Surrey and APHA, has developed a new vaccine using a proven and tested “frame”. In fact, the main structure of this vaccine is identical to one, usually used to immunize elephants against a virus called cow's smallpox.

Scientists visited this vaccine – the structure of EEHV proteins – non -infectious virus bats to which the elephant immune system can recognize and respond.

In the first worldwide, the team checked a new vaccine in three healthy adult elephants in the Chester Zoo, and then analyzed blood samples from innocent animals.

Professor Steinbach told BBC News that the results published in the journal Nature Communications were “better than we hoped.”

“They definitely showed that the vaccine was able to stimulate the production [immune cells called] T -cells that are crucial for the fight against viral infections. “

The next step for scientists is to check the vaccine in young elephants, which are animals most vulnerable to serious diseases.

The current vaccination requires four injections, so another goal is to develop whether the same protective dose can be in a simpler way – possibly with a fewer strokes.

Dr. Edwards explained: “In the end, we want to use this vaccine in elephants that are at risk, so we want to make sure that we can bring it to where it is necessary.”

Professor Steinbach added: “We think that this is a significant step forward, and not necessarily only for elephants, but because he also shows that you can design and use vaccines to help disappearing species.”