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- AS, Bensalah OK, Al Muhairi SS. Prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome
- coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in dromedary camels in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab
- Emirates. Virus Genes. 2015 Jun;50(3):509-13. doi: 10.1007/s11262-015-1174-0.
- Epub 2015 Feb 5. PubMed PMID: 25653016.
- 2. Song D, Ha G, Serhan W, Eltahir Y, Yusof M, Hashem F, Elsayed E, Marzoug B,
- Abdelazim A, Al Muhairi S. Development and validation of a rapid
- immunochromatographic assay for detection of Middle East respiratory syndrome
- coronavirus antigen in dromedary camels. J Clin Microbiol. 2015
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- Ongoing research
Epidemiologic features of transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are not well understood. A zoonotic origin of MERS-CoV has been speculated based on presence of closely related viruses in bats. Several human cases of MERS-CoV infection have reported contact with camels or their environments during the 14 day period prior to symptom onset. However, whether or not transmission of MERS-CoV between camels and humans occurs, the directionality of such transmission remain unclear. The research is intended to address the following three key questions regarding the epidemiology of MERS-CoV at the animal-human interface:
- 1. Is there transmission of MERS-CoV between camels to humans?
- 2. What type of camel contact is associated with MERS-CoV infection in humans?
- 3. What are the prevalence, risk factors, and natural history of MERS-CoV infection in camels?
- 4. Seasonality of MERS-CoV in camel markets.
None of the currently available tests for detection of Brucella antibodies is validated to be used in sera of camels. The ongoing research is aimed to develop a simple, fast and cost-effective test for the analysis of a large number of samples and could be useful tool in the epidemiological surveillances of brucellosis in camels.