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Longitudinal study of Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, indicates intermittent shedding of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 during pregnancy

Bennett, Laura; Dunham, Stephen P.; Yon, Lisa; Chapman, Sarah; Kenaghan, Megan; Purdie, Laura; Tarlinton, Rachael E.

Authors

Laura Bennett

Stephen P. Dunham

LISA YON LISA.YON@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Associate Professor

Sarah Chapman

Megan Kenaghan

Laura Purdie

Rachael E. Tarlinton



Abstract

Introduction: EEHV-1 is a viral infection of elephants that has been associated with a fatal haemorrhagic syndrome in Asian elephants. Previous studies have suggested that pregnant animals may shed more virus than non-pregnant animals.
Methods: This study examined whether pregnancy affected the frequency or magnitude of shedding of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 (EEHV1) using Taq man real-time PCR on trunk washes from four female elephants from a UK collection over three time periods between 2011 and 2014. These periods included pregnancies in two animals (period 1 and period 3). Behavioural observations made by keepers were also assessed.
Results: During period 1 there was a high degree of social hierarchical instability which led to a hierarchy change, and was associated with aggressive behaviour. Also during period 1 EEHV-1 shedding was of a higher magnitude and frequency than in the latter two time periods.
Conclusions: These results suggest that there is no clear relationship between shedding and pregnancy, and that behavioural stressors may be related to an increase in EEHV-1 shedding.

Citation

Bennett, L., Dunham, S. P., Yon, L., Chapman, S., Kenaghan, M., Purdie, L., & Tarlinton, R. E. (2015). Longitudinal study of Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, indicates intermittent shedding of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 during pregnancy. Veterinary Record Open, 2(1), Article e000088. https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreco-2014-000088

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 15, 2015
Publication Date Aug 4, 2015
Deposit Date Mar 4, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Veterinary Record Open
Electronic ISSN 2052-6113
Publisher BMJ Publishing Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 2
Issue 1
Article Number e000088
DOI https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreco-2014-000088
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/759584
Publisher URL http://vetrecordopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000088

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