tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Dis
. 2026 Mar 3:jiag095.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiag095. Online ahead of print.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-Specific T-Cell Responses in Dromedary Camel Abattoir Workers in Nigeria Suggests Frequent Zoonotic Spillover
Chris K P Mok[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Airu Zhu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jamiu O Oladipo[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Haoshi Bai[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Samuel M S Cheng[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sulyman A Kuranga[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Huibin Lv[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Jincun Zhao[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Malik Peiris[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is assessed to have high pandemic risk, and dromedary camels are the source of zoonotic spillover. More than 75% of MERS-CoV-infected dromedary camels are found in Africa, but no zoonotic disease has been reported from Africa where there is little awareness of MERS-CoV as a potential cause of respiratory disease. Antibody responses are a poor indicator of mild infection. We found that 47 of 60 (78%) dromedary camel abattoir workers in Kano, Nigeria, had MERS-CoV-specific T-cell responses while none of 18 controls did, suggesting that zoonotic infection is common in camel-exposed individuals in Africa.
Keywords: MERS coronavirus; T-cell responses; camels; humans; zoonotic infection.
. 2026 Mar 3:jiag095.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiag095. Online ahead of print.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-Specific T-Cell Responses in Dromedary Camel Abattoir Workers in Nigeria Suggests Frequent Zoonotic Spillover
Chris K P Mok[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Airu Zhu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jamiu O Oladipo[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Haoshi Bai[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Samuel M S Cheng[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sulyman A Kuranga[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Huibin Lv[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Jincun Zhao[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Malik Peiris[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41773823
- DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiag095
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is assessed to have high pandemic risk, and dromedary camels are the source of zoonotic spillover. More than 75% of MERS-CoV-infected dromedary camels are found in Africa, but no zoonotic disease has been reported from Africa where there is little awareness of MERS-CoV as a potential cause of respiratory disease. Antibody responses are a poor indicator of mild infection. We found that 47 of 60 (78%) dromedary camel abattoir workers in Kano, Nigeria, had MERS-CoV-specific T-cell responses while none of 18 controls did, suggesting that zoonotic infection is common in camel-exposed individuals in Africa.
Keywords: MERS coronavirus; T-cell responses; camels; humans; zoonotic infection.