A new study suggests that the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus is transmitted to humans by Arabian camels.
Jolanta Kolodziejek and Norbert Nowotny, virologists from the Institute of Virology who conducted the study, have identified the process as "zoonosis" in their quest to outline the route of the transmission. They stressed that transmission pathways of the MERS coronavirus from camels to human remain unclear, but did discover that infected humans and Arabian camels that test positive for the virus showed identical RNA sequences from a single geographical region. These findings suggested that the transmission between man and the animals might have occurred.
"With this knowledge, we can specifically react to the spread of the virus. Vaccinations of camels are currently being discussed. We will thus be able to halt the spread of the virus," said Nowotny in a press release.
Virus levels were found to be surprisingly high in the camel's conjunctiva and nasal mucosa, leading scientists to describe them as contact sites where the transmission from animals to humans most likely occurred.
When a person becomes infected with the virus, he or she suffers from severe pneumonia and renal failure. Camels, on the other hand, show no signs of infection, although some have been known to exhibit very small symptoms in the form of nasal discharge.
Human-to-human transmission of MERS coronavirus is also possible. This can happen in families, communities and health centers.
There is a strong relation between the MERS coronavirus and the SARS coronavirus from China.
"While the SARS coronavirus probably crossed the species barrier only once by passing from bats to humans, we may presume that the MERS coronavirus is being constantly transmitted from camels to humans," Nowotny added.
Discovered in 2012, the virus has infected over 300 people, with some cases leading to death.
Further details of the study can be read on the The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
