Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in Dromedary Camels in Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz N. Alagaili,
Thomas Briese,
Nischay Mishra,
Vishal Kapoor,
Stephen C. Sameroff,
Emmie de Wit,
Vincent J. Munster,
Lisa E. Hensley,
Iyad S. Zalmout,
Amit Kapoor,
Jonathan H. Epstein,
William B. Karesh,
Peter Daszak,
Osama B. Mohammed,
W. Ian Lipkin
Affiliations
Abdulaziz N. Alagaili
KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Thomas Briese
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Nischay Mishra
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Vishal Kapoor
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Stephen C. Sameroff
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Emmie de Wit
Division of Intramural Research, Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, USA
Vincent J. Munster
Division of Intramural Research, Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, USA
Lisa E. Hensley
Integrated Research Facility, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, USA
Iyad S. Zalmout
KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Amit Kapoor
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Jonathan H. Epstein
EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, USA
William B. Karesh
EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, USA
Peter Daszak
EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, USA
Osama B. Mohammed
KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
W. Ian Lipkin
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
ABSTRACT The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is proposed to be a zoonotic disease; however, the reservoir and mechanism for transmission of the causative agent, the MERS coronavirus, are unknown. Dromedary camels have been implicated through reports that some victims have been exposed to camels, camels in areas where the disease has emerged have antibodies to the virus, and viral sequences have been recovered from camels in association with outbreaks of the disease among humans. Nonetheless, whether camels mediate transmission to humans is unresolved. Here we provide evidence from a geographic and temporal survey of camels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that MERS coronaviruses have been circulating in camels since at least 1992, are distributed countrywide, and can be phylogenetically classified into clades that correlate with outbreaks of the disease among humans. We found no evidence of infection in domestic sheep or domestic goats. IMPORTANCE This study was undertaken to determine the historical and current prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infection in dromedary camels and other livestock in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the index case and the majority of cases of MERS have been reported.
