Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Is Omnipresent in Elephants in European Zoos and an Asian Elephant Range Country

Tabitha E Hoornweg; Willem Schaftenaar; Gilles Maurer; Petra B van den Doel; Fieke M Molenaar; Alexandre Chamouard-Galante; Francis Vercammen; Victor P M G Rutten; Cornelis A M de Haan

doi:10.3390/v13020283

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Is Omnipresent in Elephants in European Zoos and an Asian Elephant Range Country

Tabitha E Hoornweg, Willem Schaftenaar, Gilles Maurer, Petra B van den Doel, Fieke M Molenaar, Alexandre Chamouard-Galante, Francis Vercammen, Victor P M G Rutten, Cornelis A M de Haan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Prevalence of EEHV in different elephant populations is still largely unknown. In order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of EEHV infections and to obtain insight into its spread among elephants, we developed novel ELISAs based on EEHV1A gB and gH/gL. Performance of the ELISAs was assessed using sera from 41 European zoo elephants and 69 semi-captive elephants from Laos, one of the Asian elephant range countries. Sera from all (sub)adult animals tested (≥5 years of age) showed high reactivity with both gB and gH/gL, indicating that EEHV prevalence has been highly underestimated so far. Reactivity towards the antigens was generally lower for sera of juvenile animals (1 > 5 years). Only one (juvenile) animal, which was sampled directly after succumbing to EEHV-HD, was found to be seronegative for EEHV. The two other EEHV-HD cases tested showed low antibody levels, suggesting that all three cases died upon a primary EEHV infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that essentially all (semi-)captive (sub)adult elephants in European zoos and in Laos carry EEHV, and that young elephants with low antibody levels are at risk of dying from EEHV-HD.

Original language	English
Article number	283
Number of pages	15
Journal	Viruses
Volume	13
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020283
Publication status	Published - 11 Feb 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: We would like to thank the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, DierenPark Amersfoort Wildlife Fund, Abri voor Dieren Foundation, Animales Foundation, Utrecht University Fund, P. Zwart Foundation, A.A.M. Bijleveld Foundation, Marjo Hoedemaker Foundation, Named Fund Friends of VetMed, and many individual donors for their ongoing support of this research.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

EEHV
elephant
gB
gH/gL
herpesviruses
immunoserology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3390/v13020283

viruses-13-00283-v2 (1)Final published version, 2.64 MB

Cite this

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title = "Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Is Omnipresent in Elephants in European Zoos and an Asian Elephant Range Country",

abstract = "Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Prevalence of EEHV in different elephant populations is still largely unknown. In order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of EEHV infections and to obtain insight into its spread among elephants, we developed novel ELISAs based on EEHV1A gB and gH/gL. Performance of the ELISAs was assessed using sera from 41 European zoo elephants and 69 semi-captive elephants from Laos, one of the Asian elephant range countries. Sera from all (sub)adult animals tested (≥5 years of age) showed high reactivity with both gB and gH/gL, indicating that EEHV prevalence has been highly underestimated so far. Reactivity towards the antigens was generally lower for sera of juvenile animals (1 > 5 years). Only one (juvenile) animal, which was sampled directly after succumbing to EEHV-HD, was found to be seronegative for EEHV. The two other EEHV-HD cases tested showed low antibody levels, suggesting that all three cases died upon a primary EEHV infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that essentially all (semi-)captive (sub)adult elephants in European zoos and in Laos carry EEHV, and that young elephants with low antibody levels are at risk of dying from EEHV-HD.",

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author = "Hoornweg, {Tabitha E} and Willem Schaftenaar and Gilles Maurer and {van den Doel}, {Petra B} and Molenaar, {Fieke M} and Alexandre Chamouard-Galante and Francis Vercammen and Rutten, {Victor P M G} and {de Haan}, {Cornelis A M}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding: We would like to thank the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, DierenPark Amersfoort Wildlife Fund, Abri voor Dieren Foundation, Animales Foundation, Utrecht University Fund, P. Zwart Foundation, A.A.M. Bijleveld Foundation, Marjo Hoedemaker Foundation, Named Fund Friends of VetMed, and many individual donors for their ongoing support of this research. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

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doi = "10.3390/v13020283",

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AU - van den Doel, Petra B

AU - Molenaar, Fieke M

AU - Chamouard-Galante, Alexandre

AU - Vercammen, Francis

AU - Rutten, Victor P M G

AU - de Haan, Cornelis A M

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N2 - Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Prevalence of EEHV in different elephant populations is still largely unknown. In order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of EEHV infections and to obtain insight into its spread among elephants, we developed novel ELISAs based on EEHV1A gB and gH/gL. Performance of the ELISAs was assessed using sera from 41 European zoo elephants and 69 semi-captive elephants from Laos, one of the Asian elephant range countries. Sera from all (sub)adult animals tested (≥5 years of age) showed high reactivity with both gB and gH/gL, indicating that EEHV prevalence has been highly underestimated so far. Reactivity towards the antigens was generally lower for sera of juvenile animals (1 > 5 years). Only one (juvenile) animal, which was sampled directly after succumbing to EEHV-HD, was found to be seronegative for EEHV. The two other EEHV-HD cases tested showed low antibody levels, suggesting that all three cases died upon a primary EEHV infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that essentially all (semi-)captive (sub)adult elephants in European zoos and in Laos carry EEHV, and that young elephants with low antibody levels are at risk of dying from EEHV-HD.

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SN - 1999-4915

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ER -

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Is Omnipresent in Elephants in European Zoos and an Asian Elephant Range Country

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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