EVALUATION OF PLASMA CARDIAC TROPONIN I IN ASIAN ELEPHANTS (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS) USING TWO CLINICAL ANALYZERS.

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is specific to myocardial tissue, highly conserved across taxa, and a reliable indicator of myocardial disease in human and veterinary medicine. Biomarkers, like cTnI, may be useful for cardiac evaluation of elephants because the application of other modalities is complicated by the size of the animal. The goal of this study was to establish observed ranges for plasma cTnI in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) measured by two point-of-care analyzers. Blood was collected from captive juvenile (≤15 yr; n = 9), adult (16-50 yr; n = 42), and geriatric (>50 yr; n = 16) elephants. Following centrifugation, heparinized plasma was stored at 5°C prior to and in between analyses on iSTAT (Abbott Point of Care Inc, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA) and HUBI-QUANpro (Humiasis Co, Ltd, Anyang-si 14042, South Korea) analyzers. With the exception of two results, plasma concentrations of cTnI were below the limit of quantification (LOQ < 0.05 ng/ml) for the HUBI-QUANpro (n = 64), which prohibited comparison between the two analyzers. Observed ranges were determined for plasma cTnI concentrations reported by the iSTAT for the entire population sampled (n = 58; mean 0.011 ng/ml; SD ± 0.013 ng/ml; range 0.00-0.07 ng/ml; 95% CI 0.008-0.015 ng/ml; median 0.01 ng/ml) and with outliers excluded (n = 50; mean 0.007 ng/ml; SD ± 0.007 ng/ml; range 0.00-0.02 ng/ml; 95% CI 0.005-0.009 ng/ml; median 0.01 ng/ml). No significant differences were observed between age classes (P = 0.70) or sexes (P = 0.34). Higher cTnI concentrations were significantly correlated with increasing age (Pearson's r = 0.426; P = 0.002). Future studies are warranted to investigate the diagnostic potential of plasma cTnI in Asian elephants.

POINT-OF-CARE AND STANDARD LABORATORY REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR COAGULATION VALUES IN ASIAN ELEPHANTS (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS): VARIATION BY AGE CLASS, SEX, AND TIME TO CENTRIFUGATION.

In Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus causes significant calf mortality. Coagulation testing may aid veterinarians in early identification and management of hemostatic disorders. This study sought to establish reference intervals for select coagulation and platelet values. Blood was collected from clinically healthy Asian elephants (n = 63) in juvenile (≤15 yr old, n = 9), adult (>15 to ≤50 yr old, n = 41), and geriatric (>50 yr old, n = 13) age classes at seven institutions in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. Activated clotting time (ACT) was immediately assessed with a handheld analyzer, whereas remaining blood was stored at 5°C in sodium citrate and potassium EDTA collection tubes and transported to a central laboratory. Coagulation values were assessed on an automated blood coagulation analyzer, and platelet values were assessed on a hematology analyzer. Reference intervals were established for ACT, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen, platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, and plateletcrit according to the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology guidelines. No significant differences were observed for any value when comparing sex and time to centrifugation. Plasma fibrinogen (P = 0.002) and platelets (P = 0.003) varied significantly by age class, with adults displaying the highest fibrinogen concentrations and geriatric individuals displaying the lowest platelet counts. The ACT kaolin cartridges resulted in high success rates (84.3% feasibility) compared with celite cartridges (4.8% feasibility). Further studies are warranted to stratify reference intervals in accordance with age class trends.

Potentially Pathogenic Leptospira in the Environment of an Elephant Camp in Thailand.

Leptospira is the causative agent of leptospirosis, a globally emerging zoonotic disease. The infection is commonly acquired through contact with the contaminated environment. To extend the knowledge on environmental source of leptospirosis, we investigated the presence of Leptospira in an elephant camp setting where the interaction between humans, animals, and the shared environment occur particularly when engaging in recreational activities. In this study, a total of 24 environmental samples were collected from an elephant camp area in western Thailand. All samples were processed for Leptospira isolation using the EMJH medium. The identification of Leptospira species was carried out by partial 16S rRNA and secY gene sequencing. Of those 24 samples, 18 samples (75%) were culture-positive for Leptospira. The recovered leptospires were mostly derived from water and soil sampled from a river and a mud pond, the main areas for recreational activities. The majority of the isolates were classified into "Pathogens" clade (89%, 16/18) and more than half of the isolates (61%, 11/18) contained species of the "Saprophytes" clade. Notably, two soil isolates from the river beach sampling area were found to contain leptospiral DNA with high similarity to the pathogenic L. interrogans and L. santarosai. The evidence of diverse Leptospira species, particularly those belonging to the "Pathogens" clade, suggest that the shared environments of an elephant camp can serve as potential infection source and may pose a risk to the elephant camp tourists and workers.