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Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in creating a new immunization to prevent a deadly virus that affects young elephants.

The inoculation, developed by an international scientific group, aims to prevent the serious illness caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is presently a leading cause of death in young Asian elephants.

In trials that involved adult elephants at the facility, the vaccine was found to be harmless and, crucially, to activate part of the immune system that assists in fighting viruses.

A lead scientist described this as "a landmark moment in our efforts to protect Asian elephants".

It is anticipated that the result of this first-of-its-kind trial will open the door to averting the deaths of juvenile elephants from the harmful condition caused by this virus.

Devastating Impact

EEHV has had a especially devastating effect in zoos. At Chester Zoo alone, multiple young elephants have succumbed to it over the last decade. It has additionally been found in natural populations and in certain sanctuaries 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 dangerous is still unknown. Numerous adult elephants carry the virus - seemingly with no negative impact on their well-being. But it is thought that juvenile elephants are especially vulnerable when they are being weaned, and when the protective defenses from the mother's milk decrease.

At this stage, a calf's natural defenses is in a precarious balance and it can become overwhelmed. "It can cause extremely serious disease," a lead conservation scientist explained.

"It does affect elephants in nature, but we lack an exact number of how many deaths in total it has caused. For elephants in captivity however, there have been over a hundred deaths."

Vaccine Development

The scientific group, headed by animal health experts, created the novel vaccine using a proven "scaffold". Basically, the core design of this vaccine is identical to one routinely used to immunise elephants against a virus called a related virus.

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

In a world-first trial, the team tested the new vaccine in three fit, adult elephants at the zoo, then examined blood samples from the innoculated animals.

Prof Steinbach commented that the findings, published in a scientific journal, were "more successful than anticipated".

"They showed, clearly that the vaccine was effective to activate the production of T cells, that are vital to fighting viral infections."

Next Phases

The next step for the researchers is to test the vaccine in more juvenile elephants, which are the animals most vulnerable to serious illness.

The present immunization involves multiple injections to be administered, so another aim is to work out if the equivalent effective dose can be provided in a simpler way - possibly with less injections.

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

The project lead added: "We think this is a significant step forward, and not necessarily solely for the elephants, but because it additionally demonstrates that you can design and apply vaccines to assist threatened animals."