MERS Virus Found in Camel Milk

[Gert van der Hoek]

MERS Virus Found in Camel Milk

By Martin Enserink Friday, June 6, 2014 - 5:00pm

The virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has been found in camel milk. Scientists don’t know whether infected milk can sicken people, but experts say the results are reason enough to warn against drinking raw camel milk, a widespread tradition in the Middle East. The Qatari government has already issued new guidelines recommending that milk be boiled before consumption.

The new findings come from a group of researchers at Qatar's Supreme Council of Health; the country's Ministry of Environment; Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. They were announced at a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, and a paper about them was submitted to the journal Eurosurveillance today, says Erasmus MC virologist Chantal Reusken, the first author.

The researchers also discovered that almost one in 10 people who come in contact with camels on the job have antibodies against MERS, a sign that they were infected with the virus at some point—although none of them got very sick from it.

The milk was obtained using traditional methods, in which udders aren't routinely cleaned before milking, and a calf is allowed to suckle to get the milk flow started. As a result, the researchers can't tell whether the infected camels secrete the virus directly into the milk; it's possible that the milk becomes contaminated through the calves' saliva, traces of feces, or the milkers' hands. It's also not clear whether humans can get sick from drinking unpasteurized milk, says Marion Koopmans, who heads the Dutch group.

More: ScienceMag