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Missbildungen des Menschen und der Tiere. Vol 3. Eds E. Schwalbe, G. Fischer. Jena, Verlag. p 560 SAPERSTEIN, G., GUFFY, M. M. & LEIPOLD, W. (1976) Otognathia with complete pharyngeal fistulae in an Angus calf. Veterinary Record 98, 423424 ZAKRZEWSKI, A. (1970) Missbildungen im Gebiete der Mund- und Rachenhohle. In Handbuch der Speziellen Pathologischen Anatomie der Haustiere. Vol 5. Eds E. Joest, P. Parey. Berlin, Verlag. p 18-19

First reported case of elephant rabies in Sri Lanka

0. WIMALARATNE, D. S. KODIKARA
RABIES is an important zoonotic disease. The dog is the primary reservoir in Sri Lanka and in many parts of the developing world, but all mammals are susceptible. For example, in Sri Lanka, occasional cases have been reported among cats, cattle, goats, mongooses, jackals, monkeys, bandicoots, horses and rock squirrels. Although it has been described previously, (Gopal and Rao 1984) this report is the first documented case of rabies in an elephant from Sri Lanka. An 84-year-old female domesticated elephant presented with a four-day history of lethargy. During the initial stages of disease, the animal had a normal appetite and water intake. The following day she was unsteady and became aggressive and restless two days later. During this time there were secretions from both temporal glands. On the sixth day, she was completely anorectic, had developed paralysis of the trunk and was unable to stand, falling each time she tried to get up (Fig 1). At this time she was also found to be blind. The animal's condition deteriorated rapidly and she died on the ninth day after the first signs were observed. The mahouts who looked after the animal during its illness and the two helpers who assisted in performing the

FIG 2: Cross section of the head showing congestion of the brain and spinal cord

postmortem examination were given postexposure rabies prophylaxis. At postmortem examination, the brain appeared congested and more vascular than normal (Fig 2). A brain smear examined by the fluorescent antibody test (Dean and others 1996) was positive for rabies antigen. Subsequently, a serum sample sent to the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Rabies in Bangkok, Thailand, which determined that it contained a rabies virus neutralising antibody titre of 068 iu/ml determined by the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (Smith and others 1996), when compared to a normal elephant serum rabies antibody titre of less than 0-04 iu/ml. The virus was isolated in the Rabies Laboratory, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, as well as in the Bangkok laboratory and was found by antigenic typing and genetic sequencing to be similar to the common Sri Lankan dog rabies variant, even though there was no history of an animal bite to the elephant. Similarly, it was observed that there were relatively minor differences between the Sri Lankan and Thai dog rabies virus variants. Rabies in elephants is an unusual occurrence. However, rabies should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any acute, progressive neurological disease, particularly in an area of endemic dog rabies. Therefore, inactivated veterinary rabies vaccines may be considered for the protection of particularly valuable stock.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Professor Henry Wilde and the staff of the Rabies Laboratory, WHO Collaborating Center for Rabies, Bangkok, for the advice and support. They would also like to thank Dr Charles Rupprecht of the Rabies Laboratory, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Atlanta, for his valuable suggestions and for the antigenic typing of the virus isolate.

Veterinary Record (1999) 144,98

0. Wimnalaratne, MBBS, DipMM, MD, Department of Rabies Diagnosis and Research, Medical Research Institute, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka D. S Kodikara, BVSc, New Animal Clinic, No 132A, Steven de Silva Jayasinghe Mawatha, Kohuwela, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

References
DEAN, J. S., ABELSETH, M. K. & ATANASIU, P. (1996) The fluorescent antibody test. In Laboratory Techniques in Rabies. 4th edn. Eds F. Meslin, M. Kaplan, H. Koprowski. WHO. p 88 GOPAL, T. & RAO, B. U. (1984) Rabies in an Indian wild elephant calf. Indian Veterinary Journal 61, 82 SMITH, J.S., YAGER, P. A. & BAER, G. M. (1996) A rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test for determining rabies virus neutralizing antibody. In Laboratory Techniques in Rabies. 4th edn. Eds F. Meslin, M. Kaplan, H. Koprowski. WHO. p 181

FIG 1: Cyanosis of the tongue and buccal mucosa in a rabid

elephant

The Veterinary Record, January 23, 1999

Downloaded from veterinaryrecord.bmj.com on January 13, 2014 - Published by group.bmj.com

First reported case of elephant rabies in Sri Lanka

O. Wimnalaratne and D. S Kodikara Veterinary Record 1999 144: 98

doi: 10.1136/vr.144.4.98

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