去年在沙烏地阿拉伯出現的、造成人感染的中東呼吸系統綜合症冠狀病毒（MERS-CoV），可能來自當地的一種單峰駱駝。
科學家在關於何種動物宿主可能導致該病毒在人類感染爆發的研究中稱，發現了該病毒在中東單峰駱駝中普遍存在的確鑿證據。
MERS-CoV會引起咳嗽、發燒和肺炎，已在海灣地區、法國、德國、義大利、突尼西亞和英國出現人感染病例報告。
世界衛生組織（WHO）稱，目前確診的該病毒感染病例共為94例，其中死亡46人，其中的多數感染病例出現在沙特。
「隨著新增的人感染MERS-CoV病例繼續出現，除了從其他患者傳染外，別無其他關於傳染源的線索，這一新的（研究）結果顯示，單峰駱駝可能是宿主之一，」負責研究的荷蘭比爾特霍芬全國公共衛生和環境所的Chantal Reusken說。
這項研究結果刊登在《柳葉刀感染性疾病雜誌》（Lancet Infectious Diseases）上。研究人員從各種家畜身上採集了349份血清樣本，當中包括單峰駱駝、奶牛、綿羊、山羊以及一些與單峰駱駝有關聯的動物，這些動物來自阿曼、荷蘭、西班牙、智利等一些不同的國家。
研究人員在160份來自荷蘭和西班牙牛羊的血清中沒有發現MERS-CoV抗體，但在50份來自阿曼駱駝的血清中全部發現了該病毒抗體。
英國雷丁大學微生物學家Benjamin Neuman稱，發現抗體表明來自中東的駱駝可能曾感染過一種類MERS冠狀病毒，但尚無法確定發生的時間以及這些駱駝感染病毒與傳播至人類的病毒是否一樣。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
The Lancet Infectious Diseases doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70164-6
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus neutralising serum antibodies in dromedary camels: a comparative serological study
Chantal BEM Reusken PhD a †, Bart L Haagmans PhD b †, Marcel A Müller PhD c †, Prof Carlos Gutierrez PhD d, Gert-Jan Godeke BSc a, Benjamin Meyer MSc c, Doreen Muth PhD c, V Stalin Raj PhD b, Laura Smits-De Vries MSc e, Victor M Corman MD c, Jan-Felix Drexler MD c, Saskia L Smits PhD b m, Yasmin E El Tahir PhD f, Rita De Sousa PhD a h, Janko van Beek MSc a, Prof Norbert Nowotny PhD g i, Kees van Maanen PhD j, Ezequiel Hidalgo-Hermoso DVM k, Berend-Jan Bosch PhD e, Prof Peter Rottier PhD e, Prof Albert Osterhaus PhD b m, Christian Gortázar-Schmidt PhD l, Prof Christian Drosten MD c, Prof Marion PG Koopmans PhD a b
Background
A new betacoronavirus—Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)—has been identified in patients with severe acute respiratory infection. Although related viruses infect bats, molecular clock analyses have been unable to identify direct ancestors of MERS-CoV. Anecdotal exposure histories suggest that patients had been in contact with dromedary camels or goats. We investigated possible animal reservoirs of MERS-CoV by assessing specific serum antibodies in livestock.
Methods
We took sera from animals in the Middle East (Oman) and from elsewhere (Spain, Netherlands, Chile). Cattle (n=80), sheep (n=40), goats (n=40), dromedary camels (n=155), and various other camelid species (n=34) were tested for specific serum IgG by protein microarray using the receptor-binding S1 subunits of spike proteins of MERS-CoV, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and human coronavirus OC43. Results were confirmed by virus neutralisation tests for MERS-CoV and bovine coronavirus.
Findings
50 of 50 (100%) sera from Omani camels and 15 of 105 (14%) from Spanish camels had protein-specific antibodies against MERS-CoV spike. Sera from European sheep, goats, cattle, and other camelids had no such antibodies. MERS-CoV neutralising antibody titres varied between 1/320 and 1/2560 for the Omani camel sera and between 1/20 and 1/320 for the Spanish camel sera. There was no evidence for cross-neutralisation by bovine coronavirus antibodies.
Interpretation
MERS-CoV or a related virus has infected camel populations. Both titres and seroprevalences in sera from different locations in Oman suggest widespread infection.
Funding
European Union, European Centre For Disease Prevention and Control, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.