Knüppel Stella, Balfanz Folko, Riedel Christiane, Strauss Verena, Hoornweg Tabitha E, Dimmel Katharina, Walk Karin, Kübber-Heiss Anna, Posautz Annika, Voracek Thomas, Abdelgawad Azza, Trimpert Jakob, Hering-Hagenbeck Stephan, Rümenapf Till, Auer Angelika
Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Infectiology and Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Maxingstraße 13 b, 1130 Vienna, Austria.
Animals (Basel). 2025 May 20;15(10):1482. doi: 10.3390/ani15101482.
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.
2021年，奥地利一头圈养的两岁非洲象死于心血管衰竭。病变表明与大象嗜内皮性疱疹病毒（EEHV）相关疾病有关，通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）可检测到EEHV6的存在。大约两个月后，来自同一象群的一头八岁雌性大象出现了EEHV相关出血性疾病的典型临床症状，这与EEHV6病毒血症同时出现。这头大象接受了抗疱疹病毒治疗并迅速康复。随后，通过实时定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）每周监测该象群所有大象的血液和象鼻冲洗样本中EEHV6特异性核酸的存在情况。对样本的回顾性分析显示EEHV6反复激活，并且在一只动物的样本中检测到了EEHV3。我们的研究结果强调了EEHV6对幼年非洲象构成的威胁，并强调需要定期监测病毒血症和病毒排泄情况，以预防死亡并预测传播事件。
