research studies » completed studies
Since our founding in 1948, Morris Animal Foundation has funded hundreds of health research studies to protect, treat and cure the world's companion animals and wildlife.
Our studies have led to major advances in veterinary care, including vaccines and other preventions, diagnostic tools and new therapies for the diseases and health conditions that threaten the lives of the animals we love. Search our completed study database by species and/or disease to learn more about how our work has given animals longer, healthier lives.
Category
D07ZO-607: Use of Elephant-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies and Recombinant Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to Improve an ELISA Test for Elephants
principal investigator: Santiago Diaz, Veterinary Student Scholar, University of Florida
completed
Results
New Test for Diagnosing Tuberculosis in Elephants
Currently, the only test accepted for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in elephants is a culture of trunk wash samples, which is a good technique to identify active infection but does not detect latent infections. The investigators developed and validated a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test that successfully detects tuberculosis antibodies in infected Asian elephants. Results showed that this test is highly specific and sensitive for this species and can be used for further research studies on tuberculosis in captive or wild Asian elephants. The test provides valuable epidemiologic data that are difficult to obtain using the currently available serologic tests. In the future, this test will be a research tool for monitoring response to treatment and for determining when an animal became infected.
