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# 8725
In a case of – If you look for MERS in camels, there’s a pretty good chance you will find it – Kuwait announced today that out of a random sampling of 83 camels, 5 tested positive (presumably by PCR testing) for the virus.
This works out to be about a 6% positive rate – not so far off from other samplings we’ve seen.
Earlier this year (see EID Journal: MERS Coronaviruses in Dromedary Camels, Egypt) we saw a sampling from Egypt that found 4 (3.6%) of nasal swabs (out of 110 tested) were positive for the MERS-CoV virus (via RT-PCR testing).
A positive PCR test is indicative of a current infection, with active viral shedding.
Serological tests in Egypt showed that 48 (92.3%) of 52 dromedary serum samples tested revealed titers from between 20 to >640, indicating prior infection. Two rather important details not revealed in this media report are:
- When these samples were taken (Spring is thought more conducive to seeing higher numbers)
- The age of the camels sampled, and any age bias discovered among the positive cases (younger camels are thought more likely to have active disease, while older camels are more likely to have antibodies).
In any event, this adds Kuwait to the growing list of countries that have looked – and found – evidence of either current or past MERS virus infections in their dromedary population.
Countries reporting positive results include: Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Spain, Egypt and Kenya)
Kuwait..Discover five Corona between the camel
Tuesday, June 10, 2014 18: 11
Way-the President of the Governing Council declared the Director-General of the public authority for Agriculture Affairs and fish resources in Kuwait (governmental) Jassem Al-Bader, Tuesday, five cases of the virus (SK) in the country.
Al-Badr said in a press release written, that I took random samples of some herds of camels in Kuwait to identify infected and isolation, noting that the number of cases detected with the disease amounted to five cases out of 83 samples examined.
Badr said that the Commission had taken precautions and protective of all cases, he was contacted by camel owners and visit the site and isolating the infected ones to make sure not to act and not to transfer to any other herd only after FDA approval.
The meeting between the Commission and the Ministry of health to monitor the health status of the herd together with a continuous coordination to follow up the situation of the other herds for the disease.
He said that the Commission will take all necessary actions recommended by world organizations such as the World Organisation for animal health and the food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization along with GCC.
And Kuwait recorded three cases of human infection with coronavirus Kuwaiti Health Ministry announced at the end of last year 2013 and dealt with.
And officials in the Ministry of Health's all occasion free of human cases of the virus.
(Anatolia)
In late May we saw a renewed call by the FAO for Gulf States to increase their surveillance of camels for the MERS virus (see FAO: `Stepped Up’ Investigations Into Role Of Camels In MERS-CoV).
