Nature & Environment
Camels Tested Positive For MERS Virus, Human Health At Risk
Rosanna Singh
First Posted: Oct 19, 2015 12:18 PM EDT
More than half of the camels in Kenya have been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS virus) and researchers are urging for further investigations to prevent human transmission of the disease, according to a news release.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool and institutions in the U.S., Kenya and Europe surveyed 335 dromedary single-humped camels (Arabian camels) from nine herds in Laikipia County, Kenya, and saw that 47 percent of the camels tested positive for MERS antibodies, which means that they had been exposed to the virus, according to the researchers.
The MERS virus was first reported in Saudi Arabia, in 2012. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus at the moment. About 1,595 people have been infected with the virus in more than 20 countries, and over 571 people with it have died. Camels are considered to be a major host for the virus, and they are potentially an animal source of MERS infection in humans, according to the researchers.
It is possible for camels to be reinfected constantly and they could be long-term carriers of the MERS virus, to the point that for camels, having MERS is like having a common cold, according to Professor Eric Fevre, Chair of Veterinary Infectious Diseases at the University's Institute of Infection and Global Health.
"The significance of this is not yet clear, because we don't know if the virus is universally zoonotic. While the risk of these camels spreading MERS to humans cannot yet be discounted, it appears to be, for now, very low as there have been no human cases diagnosed in Kenya," Fevre said. "It might be that the mutations required to make this virus zoonotic have only evolved recently in the Middle East, where the human outbreaks have so far been concentrated."
Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted between humans and animals, and are usually caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. According to scientists, more than six out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. Apart from humans, MERS has been found in camels in several countries. It is possible that people became infected after coming in contact with camels and other animals that carried this viral respiratory illness, according to the CDC.
"Further research to determine whether the MERS virus is dangerous to humans in Kenya and other sub-Saharan countries is critical," said Dr. Sharon Deem, the study's lead author and Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine.
Related Articles
Zebrafish Study Shows New Insights On Human Heart Defects
Spider Monkeys Are Experts At Sniffing Out The Best Fruits
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Oct 19, 2015 12:18 PM EDT
More than half of the camels in Kenya have been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS virus) and researchers are urging for further investigations to prevent human transmission of the disease, according to a news release.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool and institutions in the U.S., Kenya and Europe surveyed 335 dromedary single-humped camels (Arabian camels) from nine herds in Laikipia County, Kenya, and saw that 47 percent of the camels tested positive for MERS antibodies, which means that they had been exposed to the virus, according to the researchers.
The MERS virus was first reported in Saudi Arabia, in 2012. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus at the moment. About 1,595 people have been infected with the virus in more than 20 countries, and over 571 people with it have died. Camels are considered to be a major host for the virus, and they are potentially an animal source of MERS infection in humans, according to the researchers.
It is possible for camels to be reinfected constantly and they could be long-term carriers of the MERS virus, to the point that for camels, having MERS is like having a common cold, according to Professor Eric Fevre, Chair of Veterinary Infectious Diseases at the University's Institute of Infection and Global Health.
"The significance of this is not yet clear, because we don't know if the virus is universally zoonotic. While the risk of these camels spreading MERS to humans cannot yet be discounted, it appears to be, for now, very low as there have been no human cases diagnosed in Kenya," Fevre said. "It might be that the mutations required to make this virus zoonotic have only evolved recently in the Middle East, where the human outbreaks have so far been concentrated."
Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted between humans and animals, and are usually caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. According to scientists, more than six out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. Apart from humans, MERS has been found in camels in several countries. It is possible that people became infected after coming in contact with camels and other animals that carried this viral respiratory illness, according to the CDC.
"Further research to determine whether the MERS virus is dangerous to humans in Kenya and other sub-Saharan countries is critical," said Dr. Sharon Deem, the study's lead author and Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine.
Related Articles
Zebrafish Study Shows New Insights On Human Heart Defects
Spider Monkeys Are Experts At Sniffing Out The Best Fruits
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone