Serological exposure in Bactrian and dromedary camels in Kazakhstan to a MERS or MERS-like coronavirus
Orynbayev M.B. Hitch A.T. Kerimbayev A.A. Nissanova R.K. Sultankulova K.T. Rystayeva R.A. Omarova Z.D. Kassenov M.M. Tailakova E.T. Smith G.J.D. Mendenhall I.H.
September 2022John Wiley and Sons Inc
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
2022#69Issue 5e1374 - e1381 pp.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a camel-borne zoonotic virus endemic across Eastern Africa and the Middle East, with evidence of circulation in Bangladesh and Mongolia. To determine if MERS-CoV was present in Kazakhstan, in 2017–2018, we collected swabs and sera from Bactrian camels (n = 3124) and dromedary (n = 5083). The total seropositivity was 0.54% in Bactrian camels and 0.24% in dromedaries; however, we did not detect MERS-CoV RNA in swab samples. There was no difference in the probability of infection between species or sex, but younger camels had a higher probability of being seropositive, suggesting a recent introduction of the virus to Kazakhstan. The infection of both camel species indicates that they both may play a role as natural reservoirs. These results reinforce the need for continual surveillance, especially at the camel–human interface to understand the risk of zoonotic exposure.
coronavirus , epidemiology , serology , virus surveillance , zoonotic
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Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems, Zhambylskaya Oblast, Kazakhstan
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California at Davis, Davis, USA, CA, United States
Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases
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