Credit FAO
# 8726
Last week, in More Evidence for Camel-to-Human MERS-CoV Transmission, we looked at a NEJM study that Dr. Ian Mackay rightfully pointed out on his blog, was based on a transmission event that had previously been described by Memish, Drosten, et al. in an EID Journal report published in March.
The NEJM study was co-authored by Dr Tariq Madani of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, who was appointed special MERS advisor by the newly appointed Health Minister, Adel bin Mohammed Faqih, last April.
Curiously, there was no mention of the earlier publication by Memish et at. on the same patient/camel testing in the EID Journal, published nearly two months earlier. I would note that when I checked back yesterday, the editors at the NEJM had belatedly attached a terse note stating:
Editor’s note: The patient and camels discussed in this article are also described in Memish ZA, Cotten M, Meyer B, et al. Human infection with MERS coronavirus after exposure to infected camels, Saudi Arabia, 2013. Emerg Infect Dis 2014;20:1012-5.
This story only gets stranger, as we learn from a Science Insider report from Kai Kupferschmidt, who delves deeper into the behind-the-scenes machinations surrounding this study. Included are observations and comments from Dr. Ian Mackay, Dr. Michael Osterholm, Dr. Christian Drosten, and Dr. Ziad Memish.
Along the way, we also see concerns expressed over possible contamination issues with the second paper’s test results.
While this story has the makings of a terrific prime-time soap opera, it doesn’t exactly infuse the reader with a warm fuzzy feeling over the way that MERS research is being conducted in Saudi Arabia. Follow the link to read:
Research teams clash over too-similar MERS papers
Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - 6:45pm
A great story can be told again and again. But scientists working on the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus are puzzled by two papers appearing in separate journals that not only tell the same story, but also are based on data from the very same patient in Saudi Arabia.
