Fatal elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus-1 and -4 co-infection in a juvenile Asian elephant in Europe

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Introduction
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus-1 (EEHV-1) is one of the major causes of fatality in juvenile Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). On occasions, other EEHV genotypes, i.e. EEHV-3, -4 and -5, have also been reported as the cause of Asian elephant deaths. In this case report we describe the investigation into a juvenile Asian elephant fatality in a European zoo.

Case Presentation:
A fatal case of haemorrhagic disease in a juvenile Asian elephant from a European zoo was diagnosed with co-infection of EEHV-1 and -4. EEHV-4 had a wider organ distribution and a higher viral load; both viruses presented the highest load in the mesenteric lymph nodes.

Conclusion:
Detection of EEHV-4 in this fatal case in Europe underlines the importance of inclusion of all known Asian EEHVs in routine blood monitoring to facilitate early therapeutic intervention.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJMM Case Reports
Volume3
Issue number2
Number of pages5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2016

ID: 164110530