MERS serological study - Saudi Arabia

[Shannon Bennett]

[h=1]Presence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus antibodies in Saudi Arabia: a nationwide, cross-sectional, serological study[/h]

• Marcel A M?ller, PhD[SUP]a[/SUP],
• Benjamin Meyer, MSc[SUP]a[/SUP],
• Victor M Corman, MD[SUP]a[/SUP][SUP], [/SUP][SUP]b[/SUP],
• Malak Al-Masri, BSc[SUP]f[/SUP],
• Abdulhafeez Turkestani, MD[SUP]g[/SUP],
• Daniel Ritz, MSc[SUP]a[/SUP],
• Andrea Sieberg, BSc[SUP]a[/SUP],
• Souhaib Aldabbagh, DVM[SUP]a[/SUP],
• Berend-J Bosch, PhD[SUP]h[/SUP],
• Erik Lattwein, PhD[SUP]i[/SUP],
• Raafat F Alhakeem, MD[SUP]f[/SUP],
• Abdullah M Assiri, MD[SUP]f[/SUP],
• Ali M Albarrak, MD[SUP]c[/SUP],
• Ali M Al-Shangiti, PhD[SUP]d[/SUP],
• Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq, MD[SUP]j[/SUP][SUP], [/SUP][SUP]k[/SUP],
• Paul Wikramaratna, PhD[SUP]l[/SUP],
• Abdullah A Alrabeeah, MD[SUP]e[/SUP],
• Prof Christian Drosten, MD[SUP]a[/SUP][SUP], [/SUP][SUP]b[/SUP][SUP], [/SUP][SUP], [/SUP][SUP]?[/SUP][SUP], [/SUP],
• Prof Ziad A Memish, MD[SUP]f[/SUP][SUP],[/SUP]

[h=4]Findings[/h] Between Dec 1, 2012, and Dec 1, 2013, we obtained individual serum samples from 10 009 individuals. Anti-MERS-CoV antibodies were confirmed in 15 (0?15%; 95% CI 0?09?0?24) of 10 009 people in six of the 13 provinces. The mean age of seropositive individuals was significantly younger than that of patients with reported, laboratory-confirmed, primary Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (43?5 years [SD 17?3] vs 53?8 years [17?5]; p=0?008). Men had a higher antibody prevalence than did women (11 [0?25%] of 4341 vs two [0?05%] of 4378; p=0?028) and antibody prevalence was significantly higher in central versus coastal provinces (14 [0?26%] of 5479 vs one [0?02%] of 4529; p=0?003). Compared with the general population, seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies was significantly increased by 15 times in shepherds (two [2?3%] of 87, p=0?0004) and by 23 times in slaughterhouse workers (five [3?6%] of 140; p<0?0001).
[h=4]Interpretation[/h] Seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies was significantly higher in camel-exposed individuals than in the general population. By simple multiplication, a projected 44 951 (95% CI 26 971?71 922) individuals older than 15 years might be seropositive for MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia. These individuals might be the source of infection for patients with confirmed MERS who had no previous exposure to camels.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1473309915700903

 

[Shannon Bennett]

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...ers-infections Saudi serology study shows possible role for silent MERS infections

Excerpt

Filed Under:
MERS-CoV



Lisa Schnirring | Staff Writer | CIDRAP News


| Apr 09, 2015

The team concluded that middle-aged men who have regular contact with camels may sporadically transmit the virus to the general population, and the subclinical or mild infections &#151;especially in younger people &#151;might be the source of unknown sources of exposure reported for many MERS patients.

The researchers noted that antibodies were seen across a wide part of Saudi Arabia, even in areas that haven't reported outbreaks. Extrapolating their findings to the general population, they estimated that as many as 44,951 people in Saudi Arabia may have MERS-CoV antibodies, though Drosten in last month's Science story called the extrapolation "a bit risky."