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Zhou Z, Ali A, Walelign E, Demissie GF, El Masry I, Abayneh T, Getachew B, Krishnan P, Ng DY, Gardner E, Makonnen Y, Miguel E, Chevalier V, Chu DK, So RTY, Von Dobschuetz S, Mamo G, Poon LLM, Peiris M. Genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in dromedaries in Ethiopia, 2017-2020. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:e2164218. [PMID: 36620913 PMCID: PMC9888459 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2164218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is enzootic in dromedary camels and causes zoonotic infection and disease in humans. Although over 80% of the global population of infected dromedary camels are found in Africa, zoonotic disease had only been reported in the Arabia Peninsula and travel-associated disease has been reported elsewhere. In this study, genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of MERS-CoV in dromedary camels in Ethiopia were investigated during 2017-2020. Of 1766 nasal swab samples collected, 61 (3.5%) were detected positive for MERS-CoV RNA. Of 484 turbinate swab samples collected, 10 (2.1%) were detected positive for MERS-CoV RNA. Twenty-five whole genome sequences were obtained from these MERS-CoV positive samples. Phylogenetically, these Ethiopian camel-originated MERS-CoV belonged to clade C2, clustering with other East African camel strains. Virus sequences from camel herds clustered geographically while in an abattoir, two distinct phylogenetic clusters of MERS-CoVs were observed in two sequential sampling collections, which indicates the greater genetic diversity of MERS-CoV in abattoirs. In contrast to clade A and B viruses from the Arabian Peninsula, clade C camel-originated MERS-CoV from Ethiopia had various nucleotide insertions and deletions in non-structural gene nsp3, accessory genes ORF3 and ORF5 and structural gene N. This study demonstrates the genetic instability of MERS-CoV in dromedaries in East Africa, which indicates that the virus is still actively adapting to its camel host. The impact of the observed nucleotide insertions and deletions on virus evolution, viral fitness, and zoonotic potential deserves further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqi Zhou
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
| | - Abraham Ali
- Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Diseases Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Immunology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Elias Walelign
- Food and Agriculture Organization, Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Getnet F. Demissie
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Epidemiology, Microbiology and Public Health, Haramaya University, Haramaya, Ethiopia
| | - Ihab El Masry
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Pavithra Krishnan
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
| | - Daisy Y.M. Ng
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
| | - Emma Gardner
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Yilma Makonnen
- Food and Agriculture Organization, Subregional Office for Eastern Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eve Miguel
- Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France,Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie Genetique, Evolution et Controle, L’Institut de Recherche pour le Developpment, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Véronique Chevalier
- International Center of Research in Agriculture for Development (CIRAD), UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France,CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Antananarivo, Madagascar,Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Daniel K. Chu
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China,UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Ray T. Y. So
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
| | | | - Gezahegne Mamo
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Immunology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Leo L. M. Poon
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
| | - Malik Peiris
- School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China, Malik Peiris
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Weidinger P, Kolodziejek J, Loney T, Kannan DO, Osman BM, Khafaga T, Howarth B, Sher Shah M, Mazrooei H, Wolf N, Karuvantevida N, Abou Tayoun A, Alsheikh-Ali A, Camp JV, Nowotny N. MERS-CoV Found in Hyalomma dromedarii Ticks Attached to Dromedary Camels at a Livestock Market, United Arab Emirates, 2019. Viruses 2023; 15:1288. [PMID: 37376588 DOI: 10.3390/v15061288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The main mode of transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) between dromedaries is likely via the respiratory route. However, there must be other modes to explain how the infection is brought to MERS-CoV-negative closed herds, such as transmission by ticks. Here, we present a study performed at three different locations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) involving 215 dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) and the ticks attached to them. We tested the camels and ticks via RT-(q)PCR for the presence of MERS-CoV nucleic acids, as well as flaviviruses that may be present in the region (e.g., Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus). Camel sera were additionally analyzed for evidence of previous exposure to MERS-CoV. In total, 8 out of 242 tick pools were positive for MERS-CoV RNA (3.3%; Ct 34.6-38.3), 7 of which contained Hyalomma dromedarii ticks, and one contained a Hyalomma sp. tick (species not identified). All of the virus-positive ticks' host camels were also positive for MERS-CoV RNA in their nasal swab samples. Short sequences established in the N gene region from two positive tick pools were identical to viral sequences from their hosts' nasal swabs. In total, 59.3% of dromedaries at the livestock market had MERS-CoV RNA in their nasal swabs (Ct 17.7-39.5). While dromedaries at all locations were negative for MERS-CoV RNA in their serum samples, antibodies were detected in 95.2% and 98.7% of them (tested by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence test, respectively). Given the probably transient and/or low level of MERS-CoV viremia in dromedaries and the rather high Ct values observed in the ticks, it seems unlikely that Hyalomma dromedarii is a competent vector for MERS-CoV; however, its role in mechanical or fomite transmission between camels should be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Weidinger
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jolanta Kolodziejek
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tom Loney
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Dafalla O Kannan
- Al Ain City Municipality, Al Ain P.O. Box 1003, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Tamer Khafaga
- Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Emirates Group, Dubai P.O. Box 686, United Arab Emirates
| | - Brigitte Howarth
- Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi (NHMAD), Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 94000, United Arab Emirates
| | - Moayyed Sher Shah
- Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Emirates Group, Dubai P.O. Box 686, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hessa Mazrooei
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nadine Wolf
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Noushad Karuvantevida
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmad Abou Tayoun
- Al Jalila Genomics Center of Excellence, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai P.O. Box 7662, United Arab Emirates
- Center for Genomic Discovery, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Alawi Alsheikh-Ali
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jeremy V Camp
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Norbert Nowotny
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
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Weidinger P, Kolodziejek J, Camp JV, Loney T, Kannan DO, Ramaswamy S, Tayoun AA, Corman VM, Nowotny N. MERS-CoV in sheep, goats, and cattle, United Arab Emirates, 2019: Virological and serological investigations reveal an accidental spillover from dromedaries. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:3066-3072. [PMID: 34463031 PMCID: PMC9786612 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated again the global threat posed by emerging zoonotic coronaviruses. During the past two decades alone, humans have experienced the emergence of several coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV in 2003, MERS-CoV in 2012, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. To date, MERS-CoV has been detected in 27 countries, with a case fatality ratio of approximately 34.5%. Similar to other coronaviruses, MERS-CoV presumably originated from bats; however, the main reservoir and primary source of human infections are dromedary camels. Other species within the Camelidae family, such as Bactrian camels, alpacas, and llamas, seem to be susceptible to the infection as well, although to a lesser extent. In contrast, susceptibility studies on sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, chickens, and horses obtained divergent results. In the present study, we tested nasal swabs and/or sera from 55 sheep, 45 goats, and 52 cattle, collected at the largest livestock market in the United Arab Emirates, where dromedaries are also traded, for the presence of MERS-CoV nucleic acid by RT-qPCR, and for specific antibodies by immunofluorescence assay. All sera were negative for MERS-CoV-reactive antibodies, but the nasal swab of one sheep (1.8%) repeatedly tested positive for MERS-CoV nucleic acid. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of the complete N gene of the sheep-derived MERS-CoV revealed >99% nucleotide identity to MERS-CoV sequences of five dromedaries in nearby pens and to three reference sequences. The NGS sequence of the sheep-derived MERS-CoV was confirmed by conventional RT-PCR of a part of the N gene and subsequent Sanger sequencing. All MERS-CoV sequences clustered within clade B, lineage 5. In conclusion, our study shows that noncamelid livestock, such as sheep, goats, and cattle do not play a major role in MERS-CoV epidemiology. The one sheep that tested positive most likely reflects an accidental viral spillover event from infected dromedaries in nearby pens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Weidinger
- Viral ZoonosesEmerging and Vector‐Borne Infections GroupInstitute of VirologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
| | - Jolanta Kolodziejek
- Viral ZoonosesEmerging and Vector‐Borne Infections GroupInstitute of VirologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
| | - Jeremy V. Camp
- Viral ZoonosesEmerging and Vector‐Borne Infections GroupInstitute of VirologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria,Center for VirologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Tom Loney
- College of MedicineMohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health SciencesDubaiUnited Arab Emirates
| | | | - Sathishkumar Ramaswamy
- Al Jalila Genomics CenterAl Jalila Children's Specialty HospitalDubaiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmad Abou Tayoun
- College of MedicineMohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health SciencesDubaiUnited Arab Emirates,Al Jalila Genomics CenterAl Jalila Children's Specialty HospitalDubaiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Victor M. Corman
- Institute of VirologyCharité‐Universitätsmedizin BerlinHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlin Institute of Healthand German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF)Partner Site CharitéBerlinGermany
| | - Norbert Nowotny
- Viral ZoonosesEmerging and Vector‐Borne Infections GroupInstitute of VirologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria,College of MedicineMohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health SciencesDubaiUnited Arab Emirates
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Al-Mubarak AIA, Hussen J, Kandeel M, Al-Kubati AAG, Falemban B, Skeikh A, Hemida MG. Risk-associated factors associated with the bovine viral diarrhea virus in dromedary camels, sheep, and goats in abattoir surveillance and semi-closed herd system. Vet World 2022; 15:1924-1931. [PMID: 36313839 PMCID: PMC9615487 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1924-1931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viral pathogens causing high economic losses in cattle of all ages. Despite the active vaccination campaigns against BVDV, many outbreaks are still detected in various populations of cattle worldwide. Other species of animals such as dromedary camels, sheep, and goats may harbor BVDV infection and cause variable clinical syndromes. Thus, they may act as a source of infection to the cattle population around them. However, little is still known about the roles of these animals in the viral transmission and sustainability of BVDV in the environment. This study aimed to explore if the dromedary camels, sheep, and goats may seroconvert against BVDV and to study some associated risk factors for BVDV in these species of animals. Materials and Methods: We tested 1012 serum samples from dromedary camels, 84 from goats, and 21 from sheep for BVDV antibodies using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Meanwhile, we selected 211 serum samples from dromedary camels to be tested for the BVDV antigen using the commercial ELISA kits. Results: Our results show that 49/1117 serum samples were positive for the BVDV antibodies in dromedary camels (46/1012), goats (3/84), and none of the tested sheep samples were positive. However, none of the collected serum samples tested positive for the BVDV antigen. Conclusion: Seroconversion of some dromedary camels, sheep, and goats to the BVDV with no history of vaccination against BVDV strongly suggests the potential roles of these species of animals in the virus transmission cycle. The main limitations of the current study are (1) the lack of samples from other species of animals that lived close by these animals, particularly cattle. (2) lack of follow-up samples from the same animal over a long period. We believe the long-term longitudinal study of BVDV in various species of animals, particularly dromedary camels, goats, and sheep, is one of our future research directions. This will provide more information about the dynamics of BVDV antibodies in these species of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah I. A. Al-Mubarak
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jamal Hussen
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud Kandeel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Anwar A. G. Al-Kubati
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Thamar University, Dhamar, Yemen
| | - Baraa Falemban
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Skeikh
- Camel Research Center, King Faisal University, P. O. Box 400, Al Hufuf, 31982, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maged Gomaa Hemida
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 11548, USA; Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt
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Abstract
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the second of three zoonotic coronaviruses to infect humans since 2002, causing severe pneumonia. Unlike SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, the causes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome and Covid-19, respectively, MERS-CoV is enzootic in dromedary camels, a domestic/companion animal present across Africa, the Middle East and Central or South Asia and is sporadically transmitted to humans. However, it does not transmit readily from human to human except in hospital and household settings. Human MERS disease is reported only from the Arabian Peninsula (and only since 2012 even though the virus was detected in camels from at least the early 1990's) and in travelers from this region. Remarkably, no zoonotic MERS disease has been detected in Africa or Asia, even in areas of high density of MERS-CoV infected dromedaries. Here, we review aspects of MERS biology and epidemiology that might contribute to this lack of correlation between sites of camel infection and human zoonotic disease. Since MERS-CoV or MERS-like CoV have pandemic potential, further investigations into this disparity is critical, to forestall pandemics caused by this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malik Peiris
- HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, P.R. China; School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, P.R. China.
| | - Stanley Perlman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
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Schroeder S, Mache C, Kleine-Weber H, Corman VM, Muth D, Richter A, Fatykhova D, Memish ZA, Stanifer ML, Boulant S, Gultom M, Dijkman R, Eggeling S, Hocke A, Hippenstiel S, Thiel V, Pöhlmann S, Wolff T, Müller MA, Drosten C. Functional comparison of MERS-coronavirus lineages reveals increased replicative fitness of the recombinant lineage 5. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5324. [PMID: 34493730 PMCID: PMC8423819 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25519-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is enzootic in dromedary camels across the Middle East and Africa. Virus-induced pneumonia in humans results from animal contact, with a potential for limited onward transmission. Phenotypic changes have been suspected after a novel recombinant clade (lineage 5) caused large nosocomial outbreaks in Saudi Arabia and South Korea in 2016. However, there has been no functional assessment. Here we perform a comprehensive in vitro and ex vivo comparison of viruses from parental and recombinant virus lineages (lineage 3, n = 7; lineage 4, n = 8; lineage 5, n = 9 viruses) from Saudi Arabia, isolated immediately before and after the shift toward lineage 5. Replication of lineage 5 viruses is significantly increased. Transcriptional profiling finds reduced induction of immune genes IFNB1, CCL5, and IFNL1 in lung cells infected with lineage 5 strains. Phenotypic differences may be determined by IFN antagonism based on experiments using IFN receptor knock out and signaling inhibition. Additionally, lineage 5 is more resilient against IFN pre-treatment of Calu-3 cells (ca. 10-fold difference in replication). This phenotypic change associated with lineage 5 has remained undiscovered by viral sequence surveillance, but may be a relevant indicator of pandemic potential. MERS-CoV is enzootic in dromedary camels, can spread to humans but undergoes limited onward transmission. Here, Schroeder et al. compare clinical isolates of MERS-CoV in vitro and show that the predominantly circulating recombinant lineage 5 possess a fitness advantage over parental lineage 3 and 4 due to reduced activation of innate immune signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Schroeder
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christin Mache
- Unit 17, Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses, Robert Koch Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hannah Kleine-Weber
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Victor M Corman
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Doreen Muth
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Richter
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Diana Fatykhova
- Dept. of Infectious and Respiratory Diseases, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ziad A Memish
- Research and Innovation Department, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Megan L Stanifer
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Steeve Boulant
- Research Group "Cellular polarity and viral infection", German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mitra Gultom
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Biomedical Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ronald Dijkman
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Eggeling
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Vivantes Clinics Neukölln, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hocke
- Dept. of Infectious and Respiratory Diseases, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Hippenstiel
- Dept. of Infectious and Respiratory Diseases, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Volker Thiel
- Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Pöhlmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thorsten Wolff
- Unit 17, Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses, Robert Koch Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel A Müller
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany.,Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector Borne Diseases, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany.
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Hemida MG, Alhammadi M, Almathen F, Alnaeem A. Exploring the potential roles of some rodents in the transmission of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. J Med Virol 2021; 93:5328-5332. [PMID: 33851740 PMCID: PMC8251124 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is one of the recently identified zoonotic coronaviruses. The one-hump camels are believed to play important roles in the evolution and transmission of the virus. The animal-to-animal, as well as the animal-to-human transmission in the context of MERS-CoV infection, were reported. The camels shed the virus in some of their secretions, especially the nasal tract. However, there are many aspects of the transmission cycle of the virus from animals to humans that are still not fully understood. Rodents played important roles in the transmission of many pathogens, including viruses and bacteria. They have been implicated in the evolution of many human coronaviruses, especially HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1. However, the role of rodents in the transmission of MERS-CoV still requires more exploration. To achieve this goal, we identified MERS-CoV that naturally infected dromedary camel by molecular surveillance. We captured 15 of the common rodents (rats, mice, and jerboa) sharing the habitat with these animals. We collected both oral and rectal swabs from these animals and then tested them by the commercial MERS-CoV real-time-PCR kits using two targets. Despite the detection of the viral shedding in the nasal swabs of some of the dromedary camels, none of the rodents tested positive for the virus during the tenure of this study. We concluded that these species of rodents did not harbor the virus and are most unlikely to contribute to the transmission of the MERS-CoV. However, further large-scale studies are required to confirm the potential roles of rodents in the context of the MERS-CoV transmission cycle, if any.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maged Gomaa Hemida
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahasa, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Mohammed Alhammadi
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahasa, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faisal Almathen
- Department of Public Health and Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdelmohsen Alnaeem
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahasa, Saudi Arabia
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8
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Alnaeem A, Kasem S, Qasim I, Refaat M, Alhufufi AN, Al-Doweriej A, Al-Shabebi A, Hereba AERT, Hemida MG. Scanning Electron Microscopic Findings on Respiratory Organs of Some Naturally Infected Dromedary Camels with the Lineage-B of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia-2018. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10040420. [PMID: 33916036 PMCID: PMC8065699 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10040420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The currently known animal reservoir for MERS-CoV is the dromedary camel. The clinical pattern of the MERS-CoV field infection in dromedary camels is not yet fully studied well. Some pathological changes and the detection of the MERS-CoV antigens by immunohistochemistry have been recently reported. However, the nature of these changes by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was not revealed. The objective of this study was to document some changes in the respiratory organs induced by the natural MERS-CoV infection using the SEM. We previously identified three positive animals naturally infected with MERS-CoV and two other negative animals. Previous pathological studies on the positive animals showed varying degrees of alterations. MERS-CoV-S and MERS-CoV-Nc proteins were detected in the organs of positive animals. In the current study, we used the same tissues and sections for the SEM examination. We established a histopathology lesion scoring system by the SEM for the nasal turbinate and trachea. Our results showed various degrees of involvement per animal. The main observed characteristic findings are massive ciliary loss, ciliary disorientation, and goblet cell hyperplasia, especially in the respiratory organs, particularly the nasal turbinate and trachea in some animals. The lungs of some affected animals showed signs of marked interstitial pneumonia with damage to the alveolar walls. The partial MERS-CoV-S gene sequencing from the nasal swabs of some dromedary camels admitted to this slaughterhouse confirms the circulating strains belong to clade-B of MERS-CoV. These results confirm the respiratory tropism of the virus and the detection of the virus in the nasal cavity. Further studies are needed to explore the pathological alterations induced by MERS-CoV infection in various body organs of the MERS-CoV naturally infected dromedary camels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelmohsen Alnaeem
- Department of Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Haa 400, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Samy Kasem
- Veterinary Health and Monitoring, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh 11195, Saudi Arabia; (S.K.); (I.Q.); (M.R.); (A.N.A.); (A.A.-D.)
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt;
| | - Ibrahim Qasim
- Veterinary Health and Monitoring, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh 11195, Saudi Arabia; (S.K.); (I.Q.); (M.R.); (A.N.A.); (A.A.-D.)
| | - Mohamed Refaat
- Veterinary Health and Monitoring, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh 11195, Saudi Arabia; (S.K.); (I.Q.); (M.R.); (A.N.A.); (A.A.-D.)
- Department of Pathology, Animal Health Research Institute, Dokki, Cairo 12618, Egypt
| | - Ali Nasser Alhufufi
- Veterinary Health and Monitoring, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh 11195, Saudi Arabia; (S.K.); (I.Q.); (M.R.); (A.N.A.); (A.A.-D.)
| | - Ali Al-Doweriej
- Veterinary Health and Monitoring, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh 11195, Saudi Arabia; (S.K.); (I.Q.); (M.R.); (A.N.A.); (A.A.-D.)
| | - Abdulkareem Al-Shabebi
- Department of Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Haa 400, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Abd-El Rahman Taha Hereba
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt;
| | - Maged Gomaa Hemida
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt;
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Haa 400, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence:
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