Viruses (Aug 2019)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Dromedary Camels in Africa and Middle East
- Ahmed Kandeil,
- Mokhtar Gomaa,
- Ahmed Nageh,
- Mahmoud M. Shehata,
- Ahmed E. Kayed,
- Jamal S. M. Sabir,
- Awatef Abiadh,
- Jamel Jrijer,
- Zuhair Amr,
- Mounir Abi Said,
- Denis K. Byarugaba,
- Fred Wabwire-Mangen,
- Titus Tugume,
- Nadira S. Mohamed,
- Roba Attar,
- Sabah M. Hassan,
- Sabah Abdulaziz Linjawi,
- Yassmin Moatassim,
- Omnia Kutkat,
- Sara Mahmoud,
- Ola Bagato,
- Noura M. Abo Shama,
- Rabeh El-Shesheny,
- Ahmed Mostafa,
- Ranawaka A. P. M. Perera,
- Daniel K. W. Chu,
- Nagla Hassan,
- Basma Elsokary,
- Ahmed Saad,
- Heba Sobhy,
- Ihab El Masry,
- Pamela P. McKenzie,
- Richard J. Webby,
- Malik Peiris,
- Yilma J. Makonnen,
- Mohamed A. Ali,
- Ghazi Kayali
Affiliations
- Ahmed Kandeil
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Mokhtar Gomaa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ahmed Nageh
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Mahmoud M. Shehata
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ahmed E. Kayed
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Jamal S. M. Sabir
- Center of excellence in Bionanoscience Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80203, Saudi Arabia
- Awatef Abiadh
- Nature Link, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
- Jamel Jrijer
- Nature Link, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
- Zuhair Amr
- Department of Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
- Mounir Abi Said
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences II, Lebanese University, Al Fanar 90656, Lebanon
- Denis K. Byarugaba
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala 7062, Uganda
- Fred Wabwire-Mangen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala 7062, Uganda
- Titus Tugume
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala 7062, Uganda
- Nadira S. Mohamed
- Department of Genebank and Genetic Sequence, Forensic DNA Research and Training Center, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad 10072, Iraq
- Roba Attar
- Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80203, Saudi Arabia
- Sabah M. Hassan
- Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80203, Saudi Arabia
- Sabah Abdulaziz Linjawi
- King Fahad Medical Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80203, Saudi Arabia
- Yassmin Moatassim
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Omnia Kutkat
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Sara Mahmoud
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ola Bagato
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Noura M. Abo Shama
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Rabeh El-Shesheny
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ahmed Mostafa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ranawaka A. P. M. Perera
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, 7 Sassoon Rd, Hong Kong, China
- Daniel K. W. Chu
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, 7 Sassoon Rd, Hong Kong, China
- Nagla Hassan
- General Organizations of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Nadi Saed St. 1, Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt
- Basma Elsokary
- General Organizations of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Nadi Saed St. 1, Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt
- Ahmed Saad
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Emergency Center for Transboundary, Animal Diseases, Dokki, Giza 12611, Egypt
- Heba Sobhy
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Emergency Center for Transboundary, Animal Diseases, Dokki, Giza 12611, Egypt
- Ihab El Masry
- Animal Health Services (AGAH), Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Dokki, Giza 12611, Egypt
- Pamela P. McKenzie
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
- Richard J. Webby
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
- Malik Peiris
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, 7 Sassoon Rd, Hong Kong, China
- Yilma J. Makonnen
- Animal Health Services (AGAH), Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Dokki, Giza 12611, Egypt
- Mohamed A. Ali
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Virus, Environmental Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Ghazi Kayali
- Human Link, Hazmieh 1109, Lebanon
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v11080717
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11,
no. 8
p. 717
Abstract
Dromedary camels are the natural reservoirs of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Camels are mostly bred in East African countries then exported into Africa and Middle East for consumption. To understand the distribution of MERS-CoV among camels in North Africa and the Middle East, we conducted surveillance in Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. We also performed longitudinal studies of three camel herds in Egypt and Jordan to elucidate MERS-CoV infection and transmission. Between 2016 and 2018, a total of 4027 nasal swabs and 3267 serum samples were collected from all countries. Real- time PCR revealed that MERS-CoV RNA was detected in nasal swab samples from Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. Microneutralization assay showed that antibodies were detected in all countries. Positive PCR samples were partially sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree was built. The tree suggested that all sequences are of clade C and sequences from camels in Egypt formed a separate group from previously published sequences. Longitudinal studies showed high seroprevalence in adult camels. These results indicate the widespread distribution of the virus in camels. A systematic active surveillance and longitudinal studies for MERS-CoV are needed to understand the epidemiology of the disease and dynamics of viral infection.
Keywords
