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. 2021;27(4):1201-1205.
doi: 10.3201/eid2704.204458.

Low-Level Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Camel Handlers, Kenya, 2019

Peninah M Munyua, Isaac Ngere, Elizabeth Hunsperger, Adano Kochi, Patrick Amoth, Lydia Mwasi, Suxiang Tong, Athman Mwatondo, Natalie Thornburg, Marc-Alain Widdowson, M Kariuki Njenga

Low-Level Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Camel Handlers, Kenya, 2019

Peninah M Munyua et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021.

Abstract

Although seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome is high among camels in Africa, researchers have not detected zoonotic transmission in Kenya. We followed a cohort of 262 camel handlers in Kenya during April 2018-March 2020. We report PCR-confirmed Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome in 3 asymptomatic handlers.

Keywords: Kenya; MERS-CoV; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; asymptomatic; camels; humans; infections; viral zoonoses; viruses; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Locations of enrolled households in study on MERS-CoV, Marsabit County, Kenya, 2018–2020. Black circles indicate participating households; red circles indicate households with cases. Inset shows location of Marsabit County within Kenya. MERS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Types and frequency of contacts with camels among participants in study on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Marsabit County, Kenya, 2018–2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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