tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Viruses
. 2021 Mar 31;13(4):592.
doi: 10.3390/v13040592.
Limited Genetic Diversity Detected in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus Variants Circulating in Dromedary Camels in Jordan
Stephanie N Seifert[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jonathan E Schulz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stacy Ricklefs[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael Letko[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Elangeni Yabba[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zaidoun S Hijazeen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Peter Holloway[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bilal Al-Omari[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hani A Talafha[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Markos Tibbo[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Danielle R Adney[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Javier Guitian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nadim Amarin[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Juergen A Richt[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Chester McDowell[SUP] 9 [/SUP], John Steel[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Ehab A Abu-Basha[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ahmad M Al-Majali[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Neeltje van Doremalen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincent J Munster[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a persistent zoonotic pathogen with frequent spillover from dromedary camels to humans in the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in limited outbreaks of MERS with a high case-fatality rate. Full genome sequence data from camel-derived MERS-CoV variants show diverse lineages circulating in domestic camels with frequent recombination. More than 90% of the available full MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from camels are from just two countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this study, we employ a novel method to amplify and sequence the partial MERS-CoV genome with high sensitivity from nasal swabs of infected camels. We recovered more than 99% of the MERS-CoV genome from field-collected samples with greater than 500 TCID[SUB]50[/SUB] equivalent per nasal swab from camel herds sampled in Jordan in May 2016. Our subsequent analyses of 14 camel-derived MERS-CoV genomes show a striking lack of genetic diversity circulating in Jordan camels relative to MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from large camel markets in KSA and UAE. The low genetic diversity detected in Jordan camels during our study is consistent with a lack of endemic circulation in these camel herds and reflective of data from MERS outbreaks in humans dominated by nosocomial transmission following a single introduction as reported during the 2015 MERS outbreak in South Korea. Our data suggest transmission of MERS-CoV among two camel herds in Jordan in 2016 following a single introduction event.
Keywords: MERS-CoV; coronaviruses; phylogenomics; population genomics; viral genomics; zoonoses.
. 2021 Mar 31;13(4):592.
doi: 10.3390/v13040592.
Limited Genetic Diversity Detected in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus Variants Circulating in Dromedary Camels in Jordan
Stephanie N Seifert[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jonathan E Schulz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stacy Ricklefs[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael Letko[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Elangeni Yabba[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zaidoun S Hijazeen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Peter Holloway[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bilal Al-Omari[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hani A Talafha[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Markos Tibbo[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Danielle R Adney[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Javier Guitian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Nadim Amarin[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Juergen A Richt[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Chester McDowell[SUP] 9 [/SUP], John Steel[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Ehab A Abu-Basha[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ahmad M Al-Majali[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Neeltje van Doremalen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincent J Munster[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33807288
- DOI: 10.3390/v13040592
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a persistent zoonotic pathogen with frequent spillover from dromedary camels to humans in the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in limited outbreaks of MERS with a high case-fatality rate. Full genome sequence data from camel-derived MERS-CoV variants show diverse lineages circulating in domestic camels with frequent recombination. More than 90% of the available full MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from camels are from just two countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this study, we employ a novel method to amplify and sequence the partial MERS-CoV genome with high sensitivity from nasal swabs of infected camels. We recovered more than 99% of the MERS-CoV genome from field-collected samples with greater than 500 TCID[SUB]50[/SUB] equivalent per nasal swab from camel herds sampled in Jordan in May 2016. Our subsequent analyses of 14 camel-derived MERS-CoV genomes show a striking lack of genetic diversity circulating in Jordan camels relative to MERS-CoV genome sequences derived from large camel markets in KSA and UAE. The low genetic diversity detected in Jordan camels during our study is consistent with a lack of endemic circulation in these camel herds and reflective of data from MERS outbreaks in humans dominated by nosocomial transmission following a single introduction as reported during the 2015 MERS outbreak in South Korea. Our data suggest transmission of MERS-CoV among two camel herds in Jordan in 2016 following a single introduction event.
Keywords: MERS-CoV; coronaviruses; phylogenomics; population genomics; viral genomics; zoonoses.