Asian Elephant at Popular Zoo Tests Positive for TB

A 24-year-old Asian elephant at BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico tested positive for tuberculosis, although staffers there are hopeful he will recover from the disease.

The elephant, named Albert, is currently not symptomatic but laboratory testing performed as part of the zoo's routine care practices detected the bacteria in fluid within his trunk, the zoo said in a news release.

Zoo staff said the Albert's prognosis is good for a "full recovery."

“Our regular preventative health care protocol allowed us to detect this disease in its very early stages,” Dr. Carol Bradford, the BioPark’s senior veterinarian, said in a statement.

“Albert is otherwise very healthy, and we are optimistic that this course of treatment will cure his disease.”

In the meantime, BioPark guests are not at risk of contracting the disease from Albert, and staffers who have been working in Albert's area recently will be tested for tuberculosis, zoo officials said.

All BioPark staff are tested annually for the disease.

Tuberculosis is not uncommon for elephants, according to the zoo.

In Albert's case, veterinary staff "noticed abnormalities" in his routine bloodwork and then collected fluid necessary to test for tuberculosis, officials said.

"Testing for TB is part of the BioPark elephant herd’s normal care," the zoo said. "The elephants are trained to voluntarily participate in a trunk wash, which involves sucking a saline solution into their trunk as if they were drinking, and then blowing the fluid back out into a collection bag.

"The contents of the bag are then tested in multiple ways to detect all possible traces of TB bacteria."

BioPark staff immediately rolled out heightened safety measures once preliminary laboratory reports showed bacteria in Albert's system, the zoo said.

"This includes personal protective equipment (PPE) for elephant care staff, increased disinfection and limiting access to Albert’s barn," zoo officials said. "The other elephants in the BioPark herd were tested for TB, and those results are still pending."

Public health officials were also notified of Albert's condition.

BioPark staff have previous experience treating tuberculosis among the zoo's elephants.

"When Irene, now 56, was rescued by the BioPark in 1998, she carried a latent TB infection that became active and caused TB disease in 2000," the zoo said.

"In 2010, Alice tested positive for the same strain of TB, so both she and Irene were treated again. Both Irene and Alice have tested negative for the disease since 2012."

DNA sequencing will be conducted to determine if Albert's disease was spurred by the same strain that infected Irene and Alice, officials said.