Coronavirus Mers animal on human transmission

Mers virus has apparently been transmitted several times from animals to humans

20/09/2013

The coronavirus Mers has already claimed 54 deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 114 people have been infected with Mers since September last year. To date, however, it is unclear where the virus came from. Research has recently shown that Mers has probably jumped several times from animals to humans several times in different ways.

Mers is transferable in different ways
An international team of researchers analyzed the virus genome from 21 patient samples and found that the Mers virus was apparently transmitted several times from animals to humans. It was suspected that some people were infected with Mers, but showed no symptoms. However, these people could infect others with the virus, as the researchers in the online edition of the journal „The Lancet“ to report. Other experts suspect that a transfer in this way is possible.

In order to find out about the exact transmission routes of Mers, the scientists have taken specific samples from the respiratory tracts of patients from Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, the viral genome was thoroughly examined in the laboratory. The researchers discovered three different types of pathogens in Riyadh. A similar picture with different variants of the virus was also seen in a Mers outbreak in a hospital. „We show the largest number of MERS-CoV genomes (21) reported so far. Full genome sequences of MERS-CoV allow a more detailed tracking of the transmission pathways“ , the researchers report in the journal.

Origin of Mers is still unclear
Accordingly, the patients have been infected in different ways. In addition, the analysis of the viral genome revealed that the common „ancestor“ The virus variants must have been some time ago. However, where the Mers virus comes from, the researchers could not yet clarify. There may be a connection to bats and dromedaries, in which pathogens have also been detected. Whether this is the origin of Mers, but can not be said with certainty.

„The transmission within Saudi Arabia can be done either by spatial movements of an animal reservoir, by animal products or by the spatial movement of infected people“, The researchers conclude. (Ag)

Image: Cornelia Menichelli