ELEPHANT INFECTED 7 ZOO WORKERS WITH TUBERCULOSIS.

Seven employees of an Oregon zoo contracted tuberculosis from three elephants in their care in 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.The staff members at the Oregon Zoo in Portland were infected with a latent form of the respiratory illness and therefore displayed no symptoms and were not contagious, a report published by the CDC said. The CDC report on the outbreak pointed to a lack of research about tuberculosis in elephants. It also called for improved screening to detect the disease because the present method of detection – taking cultures – may miss some cases or result in false positives.Jennifer Vines, deputy health officer for Multnomah County, whose office worked with the CDC on its report, said the investigation did not conclude that tuberculosis is highly transmissible between elephants and people. About 5 percent of captive Asian elephants in North America, like the ones in Portland, are believed to have tuberculosis, the CDC said. Human-to-elephant transmission was first identified in 1996 and there have been a handful of cases in recent years in Tennessee and elsewhere.The outbreak prompted the Portland zoo to say it would conduct more frequent tuberculosis tests of both animals and staff through at least June 2016. The outbreak was identified in May 2013 when a routine annual check of elephants found that a 20-year-old bull named Rama was infected.Rama’s father, 51-year-old Packy, also tested positive as did Tusko, a 44-year-old former circus performer. Public health officials do not know the cause of the outbreak. The CDC said it was possible that a zoo volunteer diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2012 may have spread the disease to the elephants.The zoo’s other elephants were not infected, nor were another roughly 100 people who were near the three sickened bull elephants. story source;http://newsdaily.com/2016/01/elephants-infected-seven-oregon-zoo-workers-with-tuberculosis-cdc/

PROSTHESIS FOR ELEPHANT.

( photo credit; internet) Giving this elephant a new limb and a new lease of life.

CLAY AND VETERINARY PRACTICE.

A lot of protocols come in handy when treating animals, from the conventional to the very unconventional and all works well.The holistic,alternative,herbal practice are just some of the medical interventions used.Acupuncture is also another area of practice,where needles are stuck into different body parts to relieve certain pains associated with certain diseases.This works on the theory that different sectors of the body have receptors that actually governs certain body function/metabolism ,thus these areas are prodded with needles. Bonding with glue is another common protocol, use of water resistant bonds to fix tortoise shell is also fairly common. Vets are really dynamic bringing so many properties to play in practice[ see how vets used CLAY to save an elephant's foot;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3129674/Baby-elephant-died-caught-poacher-s-snare-Kenya-saved-vets-pack-severely-injured-foot-CLAY.html

ELEPHANT DEATHS IN ZIMBABWE PARK.

Zimbabwe’s environment minister has blamed the poisoning of at least 71 elephants in recent months on disgruntled game rangers and local communities who do not benefit from wildlife revenues. “It was noted that a number of issues such as low staff morale, lack of community benefits and hunting quota anomalies are fueling poaching in Zimbabwe,” Oppah Muchinguri told a meeting of conservationists, government and security officials on Thursday. “We have all heard the devastating news of the cyanide poisoning that has claimed the lives of 71 elephants at Hwange national park in recent weeks,” she said. “We need to motivate our rangers so that they do not engage in poaching activities,” Muchinguri said, calling for improvements in their working conditions. Staff motivation, better wages and good working conditions are so essential in any enterprise; any venture where revenue is generated needs administrators with emotional intelligence to prevent sabotage of the business. The effects of poaching on wildlife is further revealed by this act, read more;http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/12/zimbabwe-blames-disgruntled-rangers-and-villagers-for-elephant-poisonings.

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS AND CANCER IN MAN.

Anew study indicates that successful cancer treatment can be studied and analyzed from reaction of elephants to cancer cells.The research revealed that elephants possess at least 20 copies of a major tumor-suppressor gene called TP53, while healthy humans only have one copy, with two alleles (gene variants) inherited from each parent. People with LFS only inherit one functioning allele of the TP53 gene, according to the team, putting them at a 90-100% lifetime risk for cancer. The researchers explain that the TP53 gene plays role in the response to DNA damage by triggering a form of cell death called apoptosis via the p53 protein. Compared with human lymphocytes, the researchers found that elephant lymphocytes were subject to p53-induced apoptosis at higher rates. Based on their findings, the team suggests the additional copies of the TP53 gene and increased p53-induced apoptosis in elephants have evolved to protect them against cancer. Read more; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/300639.php