EEHV (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, the ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI), Izatnagar, Bareilly, has found the exact status of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus subtypes (EEHV) and its subtypes circulating among Asian elephant population in India.

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses (EEHV)

• About: EEHV is responsible for one of the most devastating viral infectious diseases in elephants worldwide, especially young Asian elephants.

oIn India, the incidence of EEHV-HD was first reported in 1997.

• Transmission of the Disease: EEHV is mostly spread through mucosal secretions which include: Saliva, Breast milk, Nasal secretions, Vaginal secretions and Trunk to trunk contacts.

oThe disease can only affect elephants and is not infectious to humans or other animals.

• Symptoms: Lethargy, Selective appetite to complete anorexia, Pyrexia, Edema of the head and trunk and limb, Reduced trunk movement and Cyanosis of the tongue.
• Treatment: Treatment involves a combination of antiviral therapy, aggressive fluid therapy to counter hemorrhaging, immuno-stimulant drugs, and antipyretics and analgesics to manage symptoms.