The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in the breath of some infected dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

Dromedary camels remain the currently identified reservoir for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The virus is released in the secretions of the infected camels, especially the nasal tract. The virus shedding curve through the nasal secretions was studied. Although human transmission of the virus through the respiratory tract of close contact people with dromedary reported previously, the exact mechanism of transmission is still largely unknown. The main goal of this study was to check the possibility of MERS-CoV shedding in the exhaled air of the infected camels. To achieve this goal, we conducted a follow-up study in one of the dromedary camel herds, December 2018–April 2019. We tested nasal swabs, breath samples from animals within this herd by the real-time PCR. Our results showed that some of the tested nasal swabs and breath were positive from 24 March 2019 until 7 April 2019. The phylogenetic analysis of the obtained S and N gene sequences revealed the detected viruses are clustering together with some human and camel samples from the eastern region, especially from Al-Hufuf city, as well as some samples from Qatar and Jordon. These results are clearly showing the possibility of shedding of the virus in the breath of the infected camels. This could explain, at least in part, the mechanism of transmission of MERS-CoV from animals to humans. This study is confirming the shedding of MERS-CoV in the exhaled air of the infected camels. Further studies are needed for a better understanding of the MERS-CoV.

Lack of detection of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) nucleic acids in some Hyalomma dromedarii infesting some Camelus dromedary naturally infected with MERS-CoV

“…[9,[32][33][34][35][36][37]. Detection of MERS-CoV in the dromedary camel secretions and body fluids such as nasal secretions, rectal secretions, semen, and breath was also reported [10,11,13,32]. Circulation of MERS-CoV in certain camel populations for a long time has been also reported [7,9,11].…”

“…MERS-CoV is one of the most important zoonotic coronaviruses [1,2]. Dromedary camels remain the only known reservoir of this virus until now [1,6,10,13,23]. Although the virus was identified more than eight years ago, many aspects of the transmission cycle and molecular pathogenesis require further studies.…”

“…Testing of the nasal swabs, as well as the tissue suspensions from the collected ticks infesting this dromedary camel herd, was carried out as previously described [7,10,13,14]. Simply, we used the commercially available real-time PCR MERS-CoV kits to test various samples for the presence of the viral nucleic acids.…”

“…Detection of the MERS-CoV-and its nucleic acids (NA) in the nasal and rectal swabs were reported [7,[10][11][12]. New studies also reported the detection of the viral NA in the seminal plasma and breath of some positive MERS-CoV dromedary camels [13,14]. Ticks are among the ectoparasites of many mammalian and avian species.…”

A Review of SARS-CoV-2, Responsible for COVID-19: History, Biology, Infection Mechanism, Antigenic Vaccines, Their Risks and how an Alternate RBD Vaccine is Safer?

“…The above incidents were followed by another outbreak of a SARS coronavirus infection known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), diagnosed in September 2012 in Saudi Arabia, which over time spread outward across 27 countries, ranging from West Africa to South Korea [11,12]. It was determined that the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) originated in the Egyptian tomb bat, Taphozous perforates, was transmitted to the dromedary camel, Camelus dromedarius, and then passed to humans [13,14]. MERS-CoV infected 2,400 persons, causing over 850 deaths (35%) in addition to diseases in the hearts, kidneys, and lower respiratory tracts in those who survived the infection [11,15,16].…”