DNA Test Confirms MERS Transmission from Camels to Humans

What was once strong speculation is now an official confirmation thanks to a DNA test. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) can be passed directly from camels to humans, which is how the virus is believed to have began.

On Wednesday researchers revealed results of a genetic sequencing of a 44-year-old Saudi Arabian man who died of MERS. The strain he fell ill from was identical to that in one of the camels in his herd, thus confirming the transmission of the deadly respiratory virus from camels to humans.

In May researchers from Columbia University isolated live strains of the MERS virus from two single-humped camels, and numerous substrains matched those found in humans. But this research did not provide concrete evidence that the multiple substrains found in camels were actually capable of infecting humans. Scientists from the University of Jeddah can put the speculation to rest.

The researchers' study, "Evidence for Camel-to-Human Transmission of MERS Coronavirus," was published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Samples of the virus were taken from the man when he was hospitalized and then again after he died. The results showed that the man and camel possessed the same strain of the virus, but the camel managed to recover, along with others who were found to have antibodies to the virus.

"Earlier work had different pieces of the puzzle that made this story likely. But in this small episode, all the pieces came together to offer definitive evidence," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, in this Fox News article.

Saudi health officials revealed earlier this week that a total of 113 MERS cases and 92 deaths went unreported, leading to the dismissal of the country's deputy health minister. The totals have reached 688 cases and 282 deaths in Saudi Arabia alone. MERS has also spread to 17 other countries, including the United States, where two cases were documented in early May.

Now that health officials know MERS can be transmitted from camels to humans, and Saudi Arabia is implementing new measures to ensure the accurate gathering of data, hopefully the epidemic can be controlled and come to an end relatively soon.