Subclinical infection of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus

• Main Authors: Supaphen Sripiboon, William Ditcham, Rebecca Vaughan-Higgins, Bethany Jackson, Ian Robertson, Chatchote Thitaram, Taweepoke Angkawanish, Sakuna Phatthanakunanan, Preeda Lertwatcharasarakul, Kristin Warren
• Format: Journal
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Immunology and Microbiology
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85075644468&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/68428
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature. Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection is a conservation threat to the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), causing fatal hemorrhagic disease in juvenile elephants throughout the world, including Thailand. This study revealed a subclinical EEHV1 infection rate of 5.5% in healthy captive Asian elephants in Thailand (n = 362). The virus was detected in all age classes above one year old, in both sexes, and across the country – even in facilities with no history of hemorrhagic disease (EEHV HD). Subclinical EEHV infection in Thailand urgently requires proper health management.