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Scientists have achieved a major advance in creating a novel vaccine to combat a fatal virus that targets juvenile elephants.

The inoculation, developed by an global research team, is designed to prevent the serious illness caused by EEHV, which is presently a primary cause of death in young Asian elephants.

In trials that involved adult elephants at the facility, the vaccine was found to be harmless and, crucially, to stimulate part of the immune system that helps fighting viruses.

A lead scientist described this as "a pivotal step in our work to safeguard Asian elephants".

It is hoped that the outcome of this first-of-its-kind study will open the door to averting the fatalities of young elephants from the dangerous disease caused by this virus.

Devastating Impact

EEHV has had a especially destructive impact in captive environments. At one facility alone, seven young elephants have succumbed to it over the last decade. It has additionally been detected in natural populations and in certain refuges and care centers.

It causes a bleeding disorder - unchecked bleeding that can be deadly within 24 hours. It leads to death in over eighty percent of cases in young elephants.

Comprehending the Danger

Why EEHV can be so lethal is still unclear. Many mature elephants host the virus - apparently with no adverse effects on their health. But it is believed that young elephants are especially vulnerable when they are being weaned, and when the immune-boosting defenses from the mother's milk decrease.

At this phase, a calf's immune system is in a precarious state and it can become overpowered. "It may lead to extremely serious illness," a lead conservation scientist stated.

"It does affect elephants in nature, but we lack an exact number of how many fatalities in overall it has resulted in. For elephants in captivity though, there have been over a hundred deaths."

Immunization Creation

The research team, headed by veterinary scientists, developed the new vaccine using a proven "scaffold". Essentially, the core design of this vaccine is identical to one commonly employed to vaccinate elephants against a virus called cowpox.

The researchers incorporated this immunization framework with proteins from EEHV - harmless bits of the virus that the elephant's defense system might identify and react against.

In a world-first trial, the team evaluated the new vaccine in several healthy, adult elephants at Chester Zoo, then examined blood tests from the vaccinated animals.

Prof Steinbach stated that the findings, published in a scientific journal, were "more successful than anticipated".

"The results demonstrated, clearly that the vaccine was able to activate the generation of immune cells, that are crucial to fighting viral infections."

Next Phases

The subsequent phase for the scientists is to try the vaccine in younger elephants, which are the creatures most at risk to serious illness.

The current vaccination requires four shots to be given, so another aim is to determine if the same effective dose can be given in a simpler way - possibly with fewer injections.

The conservation scientist explained: "Ultimately we aim to use this vaccine in the elephants that are at risk, so we need to ensure that we can get it to where it's necessary."

Prof Steinbach added: "We believe this is a significant step forward, and not just solely for the elephants, but because it additionally demonstrates that you can design and apply vaccines to assist endangered species."