somewhere near Saudi Arabia and at some unknown point, a new type of coronavirus jumped from one animal species to humans. That respiratory virus, which has already affected nearly one hundred people in Arabia and neighboring countries (causing 43 deaths) is still a big mystery to the scientific community, that craves source. A new Spanish study indicates collaboration now that camels may have played a key role in the chain transmission of this new virus of animal origin.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases’, has discovered new coronavirus antibodies Omani Saudi camels, but also, to a lesser extent, in animals of the Canary Islands, imported from Africa to Spain nearly two decades ago.
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explained Gortázar-Christian Schmidt, specialist Research Institute of Hunting Resources Ciudad Real (CSIC-Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha) and one of the authors of the study, this means that the animals have been contact the Saudi coronavirus or a similar pathogen in the past. Even as he insists, have been found only antibodies, not the virus itself, so we must continue working to identify the origin of this new infection.
Although antibodies were sought Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) in other animal species, such as goats, llamas, alpacas, cows and sheep, none of them showed signs of having been in contact with the coronavirus in the past (total of 49 samples were analyzed cattle from Oman, Spain, Holland and Chile). In the case of camels, 100% of animals originating in Oman had antibodies to the virus, compared to only 14% of animals tested canaries (other species analyzed in Spain, like goats or cows, were negative).
Coming from Africa
“ two packs are in captivity , for tourism purposes, which were imported from West Africa to Spain 18 years ago,” continues the Spanish researcher, “it is likely that even then bring in copies the antibody in your body, but that low percentage suggests that in all this time have not been exposed to the virus. ” Therefore, stresses, these animals pose no risk to humans, because they have the infection. Any traveler who goes to Saudi Arabia, where there have been most of the 94 infections (the cases of France, Germany, Italy and the UK had been in the Arab region), has more risk than a tourist camel stroll Canaries. In a commentary in the same journal, Emmie de Wit, U.S. NIH, highlights the curious fact that Oman has not registered any case in humans to date.
Despite the importance of finding remains unknown original source coronavirus, although it could be bat because recent studies have shown that the virus replicates in these animals easily.
However, as supported by the Spanish research, work with Arab countries are not just providing access to the field to find the source of MERS-CoV. The hypothesis Gortázar-Schmidt holding the bat is that the camels would have jumped and a process for preparing these animals for human consumption (which is common in Arab countries) a virus aerosol have infected a person by the respiratory route. The direct transmission to humans muriciélagos is virtually ruled by the nocturnal behavior of these mammals.
Being an animal virus, concludes the Spanish scientist, not fully adapted to the human respiratory system, so its spread among people of time is reduced (so far only been given to health care workers or a close contact with an individual). The World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists monitor squarely world through the MERS-CoV to prevent acquiring the necessary mutations that facilitate the spread between humans.
The work, which also participated Carlos Gutierrez, professor, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, was led by Chantal Reusken, the Netherlands Institute for Public Health.
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