1. High proportion of MERS-CoV shedding dromedaries at slaughterhouse with a potential epidemiological link to human cases, Qatar 2014
- Author
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Elmoubasher A. B. A. Farag, Chantal B. E. M. Reusken, Bart L. Haagmans, Khaled A. Mohran, V. Stalin Raj, Suzan D. Pas, Jolanda Voermans, Saskia L. Smits, Gert-Jan Godeke, Mohd. M. Al-Hajri, Farhoud H. Alhajri, Hamad E. Al-Romaihi, Hazem Ghobashy, Mamdouh M. El-Maghraby, Ahmed M. El-Sayed, Mohamed H. J. Al Thani, Salih Al-Marri, and Marion P. G. Koopmans
- Subjects
zoonoses ,camels ,MERS-CoV ,respiratory infections ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
Two of the earliest Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) cases were men who had visited the Doha central animal market and adjoining slaughterhouse in Qatar. We show that a high proportion of camels presenting for slaughter in Qatar show evidence for nasal MERS-CoV shedding (62/105). Sequence analysis showed the circulation of at least five different virus strains at these premises, suggesting that this location is a driver of MERS-CoV circulation and a high-risk area for human exposure. No correlation between RNA loads and levels of neutralizing antibodies was observed, suggesting limited immune protection and potential for reinfection despite previous exposure.
- Published
- 2015
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