MERS Virus Infecting Camels Too

LONDON: In a major breakthrough, the origin of the deadly SARS like virus and how it is spreading across the Middle East may have been found. 

For the first time since the World Health Organization announced the emergence of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV), scientists will announce on Friday that antibodies specific to it has been found in livestock animals, especially dromedary camels. 

Antibodies specific to MERS-CoV were found in all 50 serum samples taken from dromedary camels in Oman. The Oman samples originated from a number of different locations in the country, suggesting that MERS-CoV, or a very similar virus, is circulating widely in dromedary camels in the region. 

Lower levels of MERS-CoV-specific antibodies were also found in 14% (15) of serum samples taken from two herds of dromedaries (105 camels in total) from the Canary Islands, not previously known to be a location where MERS-CoV is circulating. 

The research suggests that these animals have encountered MERS-CoV or a closely related virus, and may be one reservoir of the virus that is causing MERS in humans. 

While recent research has shown that MERS-CoV can replicate in cell lines taken from bats which were thought to be the source of the 2002/03 SARS coronavirus outbreak and is closely related to a bat coronavirus in circulation, it seems unlikely that the virus is transmitting directly from bats to humans, given the generally shy and nocturnal habits of these creatures. 

Dromedary camels are a popular animal species in the Middle East, where they are used for racing, and also for meat and milk, so there are different types of contact of humans with these animals that could lead to transmission of a virus 

The finding will be published in journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Friday. 

The fatality for this infection still remains pretty high, running around 60%.