Tropism and replication of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from dromedary camels in the human respiratory tract: an in-vitro and ex-vivo study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic infection causing severe viral pneumonia, with index cases having resided in or recently travelled to the Arabian peninsula, and is a global concern for public health. Limited human-to-human transmission, leading to some case clusters, has been reported. MERS-CoV has been reported in dromedary camels but phenotypic characterisation of such viruses is limited. We aimed to compare MERS-CoV isolates from dromedaries in Saudi Arabia and Egypt with a prototype human MERS-CoV to assess virus replication competence and cell tropism in ex-vivo cultures of human bronchus and lung.

Methods

We characterised MERS-CoV viruses from dromedaries in Saudi Arabia and Egypt and compared them with a human MERS-CoV

SUBMITTER: Chan RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7164818 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature