Jade: The Little Elephant That's Fighting A Deadly Virus

It's tough being an elephant sick with herpes. Herpes is frequently fatal to elephants, and for Jade, a 23 month old Asian Elephant at the St. Louis Zoo, she is fighting a potentially deadly condition.

The herpesvirus attacks cells lining blood vessels of the heart and other organs. Capillaries begin to leak blood into the organs and causes internal bleeding. The virus is swift, and can kill an elephant within a week's time.

According to Baylor College of Medicine, elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus is an ancient virus, and every elephant, whether wild or held captive in zoos, has a potential herpes virus inside of them. Asian elephants seem more susceptible to the virus than African elephants.

Researchers are still studying how the virus acts and who may be affected. There appears to be two forms of the virus, one for Asians and one for Africans. The virus appears to jump species with African elephants infecting Asians and Asians infecting Africans. This is why zoo elephants are at greater risk of exposure. In the wild the two species do not associate. In zoos, there are closer living arrangements.

Nine elephants have been known to die of herpes, and all of these elephants lived in either a U.S. or a Canadian zoo, with the first confirmed case of herpes presenting itself in 1983. Seven of the nine victims were Asian.

We St. Louisians are pulling for baby Jade, and hope the anti-viral medications and round-the-clock care she is receiving save her life.