Photo Credit Wikipedia
#18,159
While it may sound a bit like sending coal to Newcastle, every year Saudi Arabia (along with a number of other Middle Eastern countries) import camels from other regions of the world, notably North Africa and Australia.
Camels are a prized source of meat, and many are sacrificed for religious festivals, requiring a constant re-supply.
The concern is, camels are a known host for a number of infectious diseases, including MERS-CoV, which has spilled over to more than 2500 people since 2012, killing roughly 35%. While MERS-CoV reports have declined since 2019, the virus hasn't gone away (see May 2024 WHO DON on MERS-COV Cluster In Saudi Arabia).
This sharp decline in MERS-CoV cases over the past five years has attributed to a number of factors, including the adoption of pandemic precautions, and potential immunity gained by COVID infection or via the COVID vaccine (see CIDRAP COVID vaccine may boost antibody response to MERS, other coronaviruses).
But coronaviruses are highly mutable, and have the potential to recombine into new variants, which raises concerns over the co-circulation of MERS-CoV along with COVID, and other coronaviruses (see Nature: CoV Recombination Potential & The Need For the Development of Pan-CoV Vaccines).
Today we've a study - published in Cureus - on the incidence of non-MERS coronaviruses detected in imported camels from Sudan (n = 225) and Djibouti (n = 112), sampled at their port of entry between 2016-2017.
The authors report finding a diverse array of coronaviruses with zoonotic potential, which in their words:
This suggests that camel importation could introduce new, divergent CoVs into Saudi Arabia, potentially leading to recombination events and increased viral diversity.
The full report is well worth reading, but I've posted some excerpts below. I'll have a bit more after the break.
Circulation of Non-Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronaviruses in Imported Camels in Saudi Arabia
Yasser Alraddadi , Anwar Hashem , Esam Azhar , Ahmed Tolah
1. Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SAU 2. Special
Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SAU
Corresponding author: Yasser Alraddadi, yassirradhadi@outlook.com
Abstract
Background
Coronaviruses (CoVs) pose significant health risks to humans, with recent outbreaks like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) underscoring their zoonotic potential.
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) have been implicated as intermediate hosts for MERS-CoV, prompting heightened surveillance efforts. This study aims to identify non-MERS-CoV CoVs in imported camels at the Jeddah seaport, Saudi Arabia, using molecular techniques.
Methods
Camel nasal swabs (n = 337) were collected from imported dromedary camels arriving at the Jeddah Islamic seaport from Sudan and Djibouti. Samples were tested for CoVs using real-time real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene.
Positive samples were confirmed by conventional RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Selected samples underwent RNA sequencing to identify viral genomes. The study underscores the importance of molecular surveillance in camels to mitigate zoonotic risks.
Results
Out of 337 camel samples tested, 28 (8.30%) were positive for CoVs, predominantly from camels imported from Djibouti, compared to Sudan (13.39% vs. 5.78%). Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of non MERS CoVs, including camel alpha-coronavirus and human CoV-229E-related strains. These findings highlight potential viral diversity and transmission risks in imported camel populations.
ConclusionThis study identifies diverse CoVs circulating in imported dromedary camels at the Jeddah Islamic seaport, Saudi Arabia, underscoring their potential role in zoonotic transmission. Enhanced surveillance and collaborative efforts are essential to mitigate public health risks associated with novel coronavirus strains from camel populations.
(SNIP)
Imported camels from Africa enter Saudi Arabia via the Jeddah Seaport, which is linked to major trading routes. Recent studies have detected other CoVs in camels, such as human CoV-229E-related camel alphaCoV and dromedary camel coronavirus UAE-HKU23 [8-10]. This suggests that camel importation could introduce new, divergent CoVs into Saudi Arabia, potentially leading to recombination events and increased viral diversity.
This study aimed to identify the presence of non-MERS-CoV in imported camels using molecular techniques. The findings could have significant implications for understanding CoV recombination in camels and the potential risks to human health, guiding both surveillance and intervention efforts to prevent future CoV outbreaks.
(SNIP)
Conclusions
This study provides molecular evidence of several CoVs circulating in dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia, indicating their potential role in zoonotic transmission to other livestock and humans.
These findings highlight the critical need for enhanced field surveillance of CoVs and other pathogens in dromedary camels to implement effective preventive strategies. Collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health is essential for developing and implementing robust preventive plans and programs aimed at mitigating CoV spread from camels to humans.
Additionally, stringent governmental policies are necessary to thoroughly investigate and screen imported camels for contagious pathogens, thus minimizing the risk of disease transmission. Overall, proactive surveillance and collaborative efforts among governmental bodies are crucial for safeguarding public health against potential outbreaks of CoVs and other emerging infectious diseases originating from camel populations
Over the years we've looked at a number of non-MERS and non-SARS coronaviruses with zoonotic potential that are often found in bats, swine and even cattle. A few examples include:
- In 2014, in SECD: Another Emerging Coronavirus Threat - in the wake of several newly discovered coronaviruses detected in North American swine - we looked at growing concerns that some porcine-adapted coronaviruses might have zoonotic potential, given the similar physiology between our two species.
- In the summer of 2017 we looked at paper published in the EID Journal: A New Bat-HKU2–like Coronavirus in Swine, China, 2017, on the recent discovery of a new HKU2-like coronavirus in Chinese pigs showing symptoms of PED (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea), which they tentatively named porcine enteric alphacoronavirus (PEAV).
- And summer, in a letter published in the Journal of Medical Virology, Chinese scientists made a case for the Potential Cross-Species Transmission Risks of Emerging Swine Enteric Coronavirus to Human Beings.
While novel influenza viruses have long been viewed as posing the greatest pandemic threat - coronaviruses over the past two decades have gained a lot of street cred - and given the events of the past 2 decades, have to be considered a genuine, and ongoing threat.
