New hope for elephants at risk of deadly virus

Issued: Thu, 02 May 2013 11:52:00 BST

Scientists may be a step closer towards developing a vaccine against a virus that is killing scores of Asian elephants – a species already in danger of extinction.

The majestic Asian elephant is threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and illegal trade. There are believed to be between 40,000 and 50,000 animals left in the wild. Zoos are playing a vital role in conservation efforts, but their work has been severely hampered by a haemorrhagic disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs).

EEHVs were discovered 15 years ago and are known to have killed 80 captive animals. Anti-viral medications have been used to treat infected animals but their efficacy is unknown. What’s more, the viruses are difficult to study: none have previously been isolated in the laboratory.

Now a team of scientists from the University, the Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Roslin Institute has used high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to map the genomes of the two most lethal kinds of EEHV. The research is published in the Journal of Virology.

Dr Andrew Davison, of the Medical Research Council – University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, says: ‘Despite the efforts of conservationists, attempts at breeding Asian elephants are being threatened by deadly EEHVs. Understanding the genomes of the viruses should bring us closer to improving diagnoses of infected elephants and more importantly help us develop vaccines against the viruses.’