Zoo DNA Lab To Advance Elephant Healthcare
An upcoming zoo lab in Albuquerque will revolutionize investments in elephant health.
The ABQ BioPark Veterinary Diagnostic Lab is set to be the eighth zoo lab in America and will accommodate on-site DNA testing for early warnings of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (elephant virus or EEHV).
After the zoo lost three of its elephants, the lab will now be able to host on-site blood tests and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) DNA testing to identify EEHV providing a precise timeline of when the elephants are shedding the virus and allow for urgent treatment.
The new lab will eliminate processing delays and increase treatment time. Currently, blood samples are shipped to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s National Elephant Herpes Lab for virus testing.
“Having an EEHV Point-of-Care laboratory at the ABQ BioPark will allow them to get rapid answers for EEHV samples,” said Erin Latimer, lab manager at the Smithsonian’s National Elephant Herpes Lab in a news report. “This allows us to collaborate with them on complex cases and research projects; our partnership will help assure continuing excellent elephant health in the United States.”
The lab will also assist other zoos with emergency EEHV testing and serve as an animal care resource.
Within the next three years, the lab hopes to test and diagnose other diseases such as COVID-19 and shigella.
