Houston Zoo Administers First-Ever mRNA Vaccine to Combat Deadly EEHV in Elephants

Tags: Environment International News

Tess, a 40-year-old Asian elephant at Houston Zoo, received the first-ever dose of an mRNA vaccine to prevent elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) 1A.

An Overview of the News

• The vaccine was created by virologists at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM).

• Tess was vaccinated on Tuesday, June 18.

• Effectiveness will be measured by antibody levels in her blood and monitoring for side effects.

• The dosage for Tess was based on studies with mRNA vaccines in horses.

Collaboration and Contributions

• The vaccine is the result of a long-term collaboration between the Houston Zoo and Dr. Paul Ling at BCM’s Department of Virology and Microbiology.

• Contributors include Jessica Watts, a graduate student in Dr. Ling’s laboratory, and Dr. Jeroen Pollet at Texas Children’s Hospital and the National School of Tropical Medicine at BCM.

• Research funded by the Houston Zoo, a private foundation, International Elephant Foundation (IEF), and Colossal Biosciences.

Global Impact

• The protocol developed at the Houston Zoo and BCM is utilized globally for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating EEHV.

• The collaboration has saved elephant lives worldwide and is essential for the long-term survival of elephant populations.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV)

• It is also known as Elephantid betaherpesvirus 1 (ElHV-1), is a type of herpesvirus.

• EEHV can cause a highly fatal hemorrhagic disease when transmitted to young Asian elephants.

• In African elephants, related forms of these viruses are generally benign, sometimes causing small growths or lesions.

• Some types of EEHV can cause a highly fatal disease in Asian elephants, with up to 80% mortality in severely affected individuals.

• The disease can be treated with the rapid application of antiviral drugs.

• Treatment with antiviral drugs has been effective in about a third of cases.

About Houston Zoo

• Location: Houston, Texas, United States

• Date Opened: September 1922

• Size: 55 acres (22 hectares)

• Situated Within: Hermann Park

• Number of Animals: Over 6,000

• Number of Species: More than 900

• Annual Visitors: Around 2 million

• Ranking: Second most visited zoo in the United States (surpassed only by the San Diego Zoo)

• Accreditation: Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)