Ive heard TB was found in an elephant at the Zoo. What are you doing to make sure its safe for me to visit the Zoo?
Tuberculosis TB can be considered a serious disease for elephants and humans. Humans are treated for TB with antitubercular drugs, and these same drugs show strong promise for elephants. During the postmortem exam in 2000, the National Zoo’s African elephant was found to have contracted bovine TB, which is not the same as the human form of TB. This was considered an isolated infection, attributed to her debilitated condition resulting from a persistent bone infection in her foot. The Zoo’s extensive testing protocol showed no evidence that the elephant’s TB was an imminent dangeror had already spreadto either humans or other elephants. After the elephant’s TB was diagnosed, Zoo Director Dr. Spelman asked the director of the District of Columbia’s TB control division to conduct an inspection of the Zoo’s Elephant House. Dr. Spelman, the District’s TB official, the Zoo’s physician, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) staff/experts, inspected the Elephant House, noting HV
