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. 2017 Mar 30;22(13):30498.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.13.30498.

Risk factors for MERS coronavirus infection in dromedary camels in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Morocco, 2015

Eve Miguel  1   2 , Véronique Chevalier  1 , Gelagay Ayelet  3 , Med Nadir Ben Bencheikh  4 , Hiver Boussini  5 , Daniel Kw Chu  6 , Ikhlass El Berbri  4 , Ouaffa Fassi-Fihri  4 , Bernard Faye  7 , Getnet Fekadu  8 , Vladimir Grosbois  1 , Bryan Cy Ng  6 , Ranawaka Apm Perera  6 , T Y So  6 , Amadou Traore  5 , François Roger  2 , Malik Peiris  6
Affiliations

Risk factors for MERS coronavirus infection in dromedary camels in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Morocco, 2015

Eve Miguel et al. Euro Surveill. .

Abstract

Understanding Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) transmission in dromedary camels is important, as they consitute a source of zoonotic infection to humans. To identify risk factors for MERS-CoV infection in camels bred in diverse conditions in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Morocco, blood samples and nasal swabs were sampled in February-March 2015. A relatively high MERS-CoV RNA rate was detected in Ethiopia (up to 15.7%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.2-28.0), followed by Burkina Faso (up to 12.2%; 95% CI: 7-20.4) and Morocco (up to 7.6%; 95% CI: 1.9-26.1). The RNA detection rate was higher in camels bred for milk or meat than in camels for transport (p = 0.01) as well as in younger camels (p = 0.06). High seropositivity rates (up to 100%; 95% CI: 100-100 and 99.4%; 95% CI: 95.4-99.9) were found in Morocco and Ethiopia, followed by Burkina Faso (up to 84.6%; 95% CI: 77.2-89.9). Seropositivity rates were higher in large/medium herds (≥51 camels) than small herds (p = 0.061), in camels raised for meat or milk than for transport (p = 0.01), and in nomadic or sedentary herds than in herds with a mix of these lifestyles (p < 0.005).

Keywords: Density; West - East gradient; herd size; milking activities; nomadic; sedentary.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. Camel densities in Africa, Middle East, and Asia with areas with prior serological evidence for MERS-CoV infection in camels, and B–D. sampling sites of this study, with serological and virological MERS-CoV detection rates in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Morocco, February–March 2015
Figure 2
Figure 2
MERS-CoV seropositivity and viral RNA detection rates estimated by modelling according to significant risk factors, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Morocco, February–March 2015
Figure 3
Figure 3
MERS-CoV seropositivity (antibodies) and viral RNA detection rates in camels estimated by modelling according to age, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Morocco, February–March 2015
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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