Abstract
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) are important causes of death in both captive and wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Nothing is known about the prevalence of EEHVs in wild or domestic elephants in China. To determine if EEHVs are present in elephants in China, 126 wild elephants from three populations and 202 captive individuals from zoos (n = 155) and the Wild Elephant Valley (n = 47) were screened using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction assays with EEHV-redundant and EEHV1/4/5-specific primers. EEHV1B and EEHV4 were detected in samples from both wild (EEHV1B:8/126; EEHV4:2/126) and captive (EEHV1B:5/155; EEHV4:9/155) elephants, while EEHV1A (six cases) and EEHV5 (one case) were only present in the captive elephants from the Wild Elephant Valley. EEHV1 was detected in blood and trunk and oral swabs; EEHV4 was detected in trunk and oral swabs as well as feces; EEHV5 was found in trunk and oral swabs. No significant age or sex association with EEHV1A, EEHV1B, or EEHV5 positivity was observed. An age association with EEHV4 positivity was found, with all unweaned elephants being EEHV4 positive, but an association with the sex of the elephant was not observed. These findings represent the first documentation of EEHV presence in captive and wild elephants in China. These findings also document EEHV1B and EEHV4 shedding in feces and demonstrate the utility of fecal screening as a tool for investigating EEHV4 infection in wild populations of elephants. It is recommended that EEHV testing be included in surveillance programs for captive and wild elephants in China.
Highlights
The elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) poses a significant threat to the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in captivity and in the wild [1,2,3,4]
Co-infections were found in five elephants (EEHV1A/EEHV4, n = 4; EEHV1B/EEHV4, n = 1)
All EEHV types and subtypes (EEHV1A, 1B, 4, and 5) found in Asian elephants elsewhere were found in captive Asian elephants and fewer types (EEHV1B and 4) were found in the wild populations
Summary
The elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) poses a significant threat to the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in captivity and in the wild [1,2,3,4]. Detecting virus by molecular methods is currently the only way to confirm the type and subtype of virus infecting an elephant, new serological techniques may be able to differentiate between serologically distinct types in the future [21] Both molecular and serological methods have been used to determine the prevalence of EEHV infection in elephant populations. Current molecular EEHV testing protocols in live elephants require that blood, trunk wash samples, or oral swabs be obtained [5,17,20,29,30], and enzyme-linked immunoassays for antibodies against EEHVs require blood samples [21,26,27] This means that only trained captive elephants can be safely sampled, and testing wild live elephants is not possible. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for EEHV surveillance and management among captive and wild Asian elephant populations in China are discussed
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