Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria
In 2021, a captive two-year-old African elephant died of cardiovascular failure in Austria. Lesions were indicative of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) associated disease, and the presence of EEHV6 could be detected by PCR. About two months later, an eight-year-old female elephant from t...
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2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1482 |
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| author | Stella Knüppel Folko Balfanz Christiane Riedel Verena Strauss Tabitha E. Hoornweg Katharina Dimmel Karin Walk Anna Kübber-Heiss Annika Posautz Thomas Voracek Azza Abdelgawad Jakob Trimpert Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck Till Rümenapf Angelika Auer |
| author_facet | Stella Knüppel Folko Balfanz Christiane Riedel Verena Strauss Tabitha E. Hoornweg Katharina Dimmel Karin Walk Anna Kübber-Heiss Annika Posautz Thomas Voracek Azza Abdelgawad Jakob Trimpert Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck Till Rümenapf Angelika Auer |
| author_sort | Stella Knüppel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2021, a captive two-year-old African elephant died of cardiovascular failure in Austria. Lesions were indicative of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) associated disease, and the presence of EEHV6 could be detected by PCR. About two months later, an eight-year-old female elephant from the same herd showed typical clinical signs of EEHV-related hemorrhagic disease, which coincided with EEHV6 viremia. The animal underwent anti-herpesviral therapy and recovered quickly. Subsequently, blood and trunk wash samples from all elephants of the herd were monitored weekly for the presence of EEHV6-specific nucleic acids by qPCR. A retrospective analysis of the samples revealed repeated EEHV6 reactivation and the presence of EEHV3 in the samples of one animal. Our findings underline the threat EEHV6 poses to juvenile African elephants and emphasize the need for regular monitoring of viremia and virus excretion to prevent fatalities and predict transmission events. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ac6f52ef6594d03857c63b54aa28e74 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ac6f52ef6594d03857c63b54aa28e742025-08-20T03:47:52ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-05-011510148210.3390/ani15101482Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in AustriaStella Knüppel0Folko Balfanz1Christiane Riedel2Verena Strauss3Tabitha E. Hoornweg4Katharina Dimmel5Karin Walk6Anna Kübber-Heiss7Annika Posautz8Thomas Voracek9Azza Abdelgawad10Jakob Trimpert11Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck12Till Rümenapf13Angelika Auer14Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaTiergarten Schönbrunn, Maxingstraße 13 b, 1130 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, AustriaTierärztliche Ordination Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 6, 1130 Vienna, AustriaCenter for Infection Medicine, Institute of Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Univerität Berlin, Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18, 14195 Berlin, GermanyCenter for Infection Medicine, Institute of Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Univerität Berlin, Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18, 14195 Berlin, GermanyTiergarten Schönbrunn, Maxingstraße 13 b, 1130 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaIn 2021, a captive two-year-old African elephant died of cardiovascular failure in Austria. Lesions were indicative of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) associated disease, and the presence of EEHV6 could be detected by PCR. About two months later, an eight-year-old female elephant from the same herd showed typical clinical signs of EEHV-related hemorrhagic disease, which coincided with EEHV6 viremia. The animal underwent anti-herpesviral therapy and recovered quickly. Subsequently, blood and trunk wash samples from all elephants of the herd were monitored weekly for the presence of EEHV6-specific nucleic acids by qPCR. A retrospective analysis of the samples revealed repeated EEHV6 reactivation and the presence of EEHV3 in the samples of one animal. Our findings underline the threat EEHV6 poses to juvenile African elephants and emphasize the need for regular monitoring of viremia and virus excretion to prevent fatalities and predict transmission events.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1482<i>Loxodonta africana</i>trunk wash<i>Proboscivirus</i>EEHV6EEHV3elephant |
| spellingShingle | Stella Knüppel Folko Balfanz Christiane Riedel Verena Strauss Tabitha E. Hoornweg Katharina Dimmel Karin Walk Anna Kübber-Heiss Annika Posautz Thomas Voracek Azza Abdelgawad Jakob Trimpert Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck Till Rümenapf Angelika Auer Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria Animals <i>Loxodonta africana</i> trunk wash <i>Proboscivirus</i> EEHV6 EEHV3 elephant |
| title | Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria |
| title_full | Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria |
| title_fullStr | Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria |
| title_short | Severe Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 6 Associated Disease in Two African Elephants Under Human Care in Austria |
| title_sort | severe elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 6 associated disease in two african elephants under human care in austria |
| topic | <i>Loxodonta africana</i> trunk wash <i>Proboscivirus</i> EEHV6 EEHV3 elephant |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1482 |
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