UNASSIGNED: Musth in adult bull elephants is a period of increased @entity342 concentrations ranging from a few weeks to several months. For captive @entity7105 bull management, musth presents a serious challenge because of the @entity146 of musth bulls toward @entity1 and other elephants. Commercially available @entity1176 vaccines have been shown to suppress testicular function by interrupting the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in many species. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a @entity1176 vaccine in @entity7105 bulls for suppressing the @entity444 and mitigating musth-related @entity146 . Five adult @entity7105 bulls (22-55 years old) were immunized with a @entity1176 vaccine starting with an initial injection 2-4 months before the predicted musth period, and followed by three boosters at approximately 4-week intervals. Blood samples were collected twice weekly for hormone and antibody titer analysis. An increase in @entity1176 antibody titers was observed in all bulls after the second or third booster, and titers remained elevated for 2-3 months after the final booster. Musth was attenuated and shortened in three bulls and postponed completely in two. We conclude that @entity1176 vaccination is capable of suppressing symptoms of musth in adult bull elephants. With appropriate timing, @entity1176 vaccination could be used to control or manage musth and @entity146 in captive @entity7105 bulls. However, more work is needed to identify an optimal dose, booster interval, and vaccination schedule for complete suppression of testicular steroidogenesis.

Potential of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine to suppress musth in captive male XXXX ( @entity7105 ).

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['people'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['aggressive behavior'] @entity7105 :: ('9783', 'Species') :: ['Asian elephant', 'elephant'] @entity342 :: ('CHEBI:50113', 'Chemical') :: ['androgen'] @entity1176 :: ('MESH:D007987', 'Chemical') :: ['GnRH'] @entity444 :: ('MESH:D006059', 'Disease') :: ['HPG axis']
@entity7105 :: (9783,Species) :: ['Asian elephants']
