Elephant staff at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium test positive for latent tuberculosis

TACOMA, Wash. — Stricter protocols have been implemented at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for staff who care for elephants.

This comes after staff who work with and around elephants at the zoo tested positive for latent tuberculosis infection, according to a news release from the zoo.

"People with latent TB are not sick and cannot infect anyone," said Matthew Rollosson, public health nurse with Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. "You have to spend a lot of time close to a person or animal with active TB to catch the disease.

According to the release, there were no active cases of the disease in people and test results on the elephants are pending.

The zoo's head veterinarian, Dr. Karen Wolf, said the two elephants, Hanako and Suki, are not showing any symptoms of active tuberculosis.

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Health officials said the disease has two stages: latent and active, and most people with latent TB never develop active TB because the disease is not contagious at the latent stage.

According to the release, those who have tested positive for latent TB have been exposed to the bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics, preventing the disease from developing.

Rollosson said, "Tuberculosis is not easy to get and requires close, prolonged contact with active cases."

Zoo workers test Hanako and Suki annually, according to the release. Fluids are collected from their trunks and are sent to a certified laboratory for testing as part of the zoo's comprehensive health program.

As for the elephants current testing, zoo officials expect results to return in about eight weeks.

The elephants are spending their time in their outdoor habitat, which is 14 feet away from the public. It has been deemed safe for visitors.

For more information about tuberculosis, visit the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department web page at https://www.tpchd.org/healthy-people/diseases/tuberculosis-tb.

Cox Media Group