New Tools for Understanding Elephant Diseases

Three diseases (tuberculosis, herpes viruses, arthritis) are contributing to increased morbidity and mortality among captive elephants. Our laboratory and field and educational initiatives will improve diagnostics and treatment, increase our understanding of immune susceptibility, implement advanced veterinary care, and promote community awareness.

Our objectives are to establish a consortium to study the elephant immune response to infectious and inflammatory diseases, including collecting biological samples, assembling clinical data, sharing intellectual expertise, and participating in population-based epidemiological studies on approximately 500 elephants nationwide. We are also working with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo to measure antibodies to herpes virus infection, and the Washington State University to establish white blood cell profiles.

We plan to develop a series of immunological and genetic laboratory assays at to monitor the host immune response to herpes and tuberculosis infections that will result in new diagnostic tests, individual estimates of predisposition to disease, a better understanding of disease progression, and the ability to implement more efficient treatment. Development of a radiographic database of degenerative joint disease will help us predict which individuals are at risk and and recommend drug and husbandry treatment protocols.

We will survey elephants in Sri Lanka for the prevalence of tuberculosis and hold conservation education workshops on wildlife diseases, habitat preservation, climate change, and land-use management.  Finally, we will host scientists and students from Sri Lanka at the San Diego Zoo for training.