August 9, 2013

expert reaction to signs of MERS CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) in camels

Research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found antibodies specific to the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus virus in dromedary camels, suggesting they may be one reservoir of the virus that is causing MERS in humans. 

Dr Benjamin Neuman, Microbiology Research Group, University of Reading, said:

“This looks like the big break that public health workers needed in the fight against the spread of MERS.  It comes at a serendipitous time, with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca to begin in a couple of months. 

“The biggest mysteries of the MERS coronavirus outbreak have been how people are becoming infected with a virus of bats, and why it is happening in the Middle East.  By showing that one-humped camels have a history of MERS-like infections, these scientists may have helped answer both questions at once.

“The new evidence comes from antibodies in camel blood.  The antibodies tell us that the camels from the Middle East probably caught a MERS-like coronavirus, but they do not say when it happened or whether it was exactly the same as the virus that has spread to people.  There was some anecdotal evidence of people who came down with MERS after contact with sick camels, but this is the first hard evidence that camels may be a missing link in the chain of transmission.

“The next big step will be to look for the virus itself in sick camels, and to find out whether the virus is changed in a way that makes it more likely to infect humans, in the same way that SARS coronavirus was changed in passing through palm civets.”

Professor Ian Jones, Professor of Virology, University of Reading, said:

“This is the first plausible link for how the virus gets into man. It begs a number of questions like why so few human cases if camels are so widely infected, why the link with Saudi Arabia in particular and why now? Could it be that some other source is common to be both camels and man? But these aside it’s a great first step towards measures to prevent further human infection.”

‘Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus neutralizing serum antibodies in dromedary camels: a comparative serological study’ by Chantal B E M Reusken et al., published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Friday 9 August 2013.