Sunday, January 15, 2006

Pang Lampang, Plai Lomsak's mother, has been grieving at her son's with woeful cries. She stood over her son's body and did not allow anyone to come near. Finally, the elephant keepers were able to lead her away so that the autopsy could be performed. Post Script: After various lab tests, the most likely cause of Plai Lomsak's death could be attributed to novel endotheliotropic herpesvirus. Please see: Richman, L. K., Montali, R. J., Cambre, R. C., Schmitt, D., Hardy, D., Bengis, R. G., Hamzeh, F. M., Shahkolahi, A., and Hayward, G. S. Clinical and pathological findings of a newly recognized disease of elephants caused by endotheliotropic herpesviruses. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 36[1], 1-12. 2000. Ref Type: Journal Reference ID:1710 Language:English Reprint: In File Keywords: African, Asian, diseases, herpesvirus, virus,viral disease Abstract: The unique clinical and pathological findings in nine Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and two African elephants (Loxodonta africana) from North American Zoos with a highly fatal disease caused by novel endotheliotropic herpesviruses are described. Consensus primer polymerase chain reaction combined with sequencing yielded molecular evidence that confirmed the presence of 2 novel but related herpesviruses associated with the disease, one in Asian elephants and the other in African elephants. Disease onset was acute, with lethargy, edema of the head and thoracic limbs, oral ulceration and cyanosis of the tongue followed by death of most animals in 1 to 7 days. Pertinent laboratory findings in 2 of 3 clinically evaluated animals included lymphocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. Two affected young Asian elephants recovered after a 3- to 4-week course of therapy with famciclovir. PM examination in the fatal cases revealed pericardial effusion and extensive petechial hemorrhages in the heart and throughout the peritoneal cavity, hepatomegaly, cyanosis of the tongue, intestinal hemorrhage and ulceration. Histologically, there were extensive microhemorrhages and edema throughout the myocardium and mild, subacute myocarditis. Similar hemorrhagic lesions with inflammation were evident in the tongue, liver and large intestine. Lesions in these target organs were accompanied by amphophilic to basophilic intranuclear viral inclusion bodies in capillary endothelial cells. Transmission electron microscopy of the endothelial inclusion bodies revealed 80 to 92 nm diameter viral capsids consistent with herpesvirus morphology. The short course of the herpesvirus infections, with sudden deaths in all but the 2 surviving elephants, was ascribed to acute cardiac failure attributed to herpesvirus-induced capillary injury with extensive myocardial hemorrhage and edema. พังลำปางแม่ของพลายหล่มสักยังคงร้องไห้กับการจากไปของลูกชาย เธอยืนอยู่ข้างร่างกายของลูกชายของเธอและไม่ยอมให้ทุกๆคนมาใกล้ ท้ายที่สุดแล้ว ผู้ดูแลช้างพาเธอออกห่างเพื่อทำการชันสูตรศพพลายหล่มสัก

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