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Researchers have achieved a major advance in creating a novel immunization to combat a deadly virus that affects juvenile elephants.

The inoculation, produced by an global scientific group, aims to stop the serious disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is currently a primary cause of death in young Asian elephants.

In tests that involved mature elephants at Chester Zoo, the vaccine was found to be safe and, crucially, to stimulate part of the immune system that assists in fighting viruses.

Prof Falko Steinbach called this as "a pivotal step in our efforts to safeguard Asian elephants".

It is anticipated that the result of this pioneering study will open the door to preventing the deaths of juvenile elephants from the harmful condition caused by this virus.

Severe Consequences

EEHV has had a particularly devastating impact in captive environments. At Chester Zoo alone, multiple baby elephants have succumbed to it over the last decade. It has also been found in wild elephant herds and in some refuges and care centers.

It causes a bleeding disorder - unchecked bleeding that can be fatal within 24 hours. It results in death in over eighty percent of cases in juvenile elephants.

Comprehending the Danger

Why EEHV can be so lethal is still unknown. Numerous mature elephants carry the virus - apparently with no adverse effects on their health. But it is believed that juvenile calves are particularly susceptible when they are being weaned, and when the protective defenses from the maternal nutrition decrease.

At this phase, a young elephant's natural defenses is in a precarious state and it can become overpowered. "It may lead to extremely serious disease," Dr Katie Edwards explained.

"It does affect elephants in nature, but we don't have an exact number of how many fatalities in overall it has caused. For elephants in captivity though, there have been over a hundred deaths."

Immunization Creation

The research team, led by veterinary scientists, created the new vaccine using a tried and tested "framework". Basically, the core design of this vaccine is the same to one routinely used to vaccinate elephants against a virus called a related virus.

The scientists seeded this vaccine structure with components from EEHV - harmless bits of the virus that the animal's immune system might identify and react against.

In a world-first experiment, the team evaluated the new vaccine in several fit, adult elephants at the zoo, then examined blood tests from the vaccinated animals.

The lead researcher commented that the results, published in a scientific journal, were "better than we had hoped for".

"The results demonstrated, clearly that the vaccine was able to stimulate the generation of T cells, that are crucial to combating viral infections."

Next Phases

The subsequent phase for the scientists is to try the vaccine in more juvenile elephants, which are the animals most vulnerable to severe disease.

The current immunization involves four injections to be administered, so another aim is to determine if the same protective amount can be provided in a more straightforward way - possibly with less injections.

The conservation scientist explained: "Ultimately we aim to employ this vaccine in the elephants that are at risk, so we need to ensure that we can get it to where it's necessary."

Prof Steinbach continued: "We believe this is a major step forward, and not necessarily solely for the elephants, but because it additionally demonstrates that you can design and use vaccines to help threatened animals."