EEHV research is needed in the fields of disease prevention, treatment, pathogenesis, monitoring and epidemiology. All such research pursuits have inherent value and the potential to improve management of this devastating disease, and thus are encouraged by the EEHV AG. However, given the vision of the EEHV AG to provide guidance towards achieving zero EEHV elephant deaths, the following prioritization of research pursuit has been identified by the EEHV AG (November 2023).

The EEHV AG considers disease prevention the top priority, and investigations focusing on EEHV vaccine development and implementation are of highest importance. Safe and efficacious antiviral treatment is another high priority topic. Research to provide evidence-based standardization of treatment protocols and to establish antiviral efficacy is also needed. Viral culture will be key to forwarding such pursuits. The EEHV AG considers research concerning disease pathogenesis, such as investigations of viral tropism, mechanisms of disease and host immune responses, to be a second tier priority. Also encompassed by Tier II are investigations of preventative measures aimed at providing naïve calves artificial exposure to EEHVs (“elephant kindergarten”) and identification of endogenous/ exogenous risk factors for adult viral shedding and development of EEHV-HD in calves.

Tier III priorities include research focused on early detection strategies (i.e. predicative value of clinical pathologic parameters, behavioral cues, and/or physical examination findings for detection of impending EEHV-HD) as well as EEHV monitoring via serology and PCR.

List of all EEHV fields of research

• Prevention
  • Vaccine development
  • Vaccine clinical trials
  • Artificial/aided exposure of naïve calves to virus while protected by maternal immunity (“elephant kindergarten”)

• Monitoring
  • Serology
  • PCR
  • Early detection (clinical pathologic, behavioral, physical predictors of disease)

• Pathogenesis
  • Viral tropism (in EEHV-HD and latency)
  • Mechanisms of disease
  • Host immune responses
  • Viral culture

• Treatment
  • Antiviral efficacy
  • Antiviral pharmacokinetics/dynamics
  • Evidence-based standardization of protocols

• Epidemiology/Management
  • Identification of risk factors
    • Host immunity
    • Herd size
    • Exogenous stressors
  • Viral shedding
    • Cues/instigators of shedding