Detection of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in Dromedary Camel's Seminal Plasma in Saudi Arabia 2015-2017

Overview

Journal Transbound Emerg Dis

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2020 May 7

PMID 32374945

Citations 10

Authors

Maged Gomaa Hemida

Magdi Waheed

Ali M Ali

Abdelmohsen Alnaeem

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emergent respiratory virus. Dromedary camels are currently the only known reservoir of MERS-CoV and are capable of transmitting the virus within a herd. The role of semen in the transmission of MERS-CoV has never been investigated as yet, to the best of our knowledge. Our goal was to test semen collected from dromedary camels for MERS-CoV. A total of 67 seminal plasma samples from infertile and 13 from fertile dromedary camels were collected. The RNA was extracted from the samples and tested using commercial real-time PCR. Nine out of sixty-seven infertile animals (13.4%) were positive. The obtained PCR products were sequenced using the conserved MERS-CoV-N gene primers. MERS-CoV-RNA detected in seminal plasma was closely related to the lineage B. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about the detection of MERS-CoV-RNA in camel's seminal plasma. Regular testing of semen of common male camels' used for insemination should be considered to avoid a possible spread of the virus through semen.

Citing Articles

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Hemida M, Al-Sabi M, Alhammadi M, Almathen F, Alnaeem A Vet Med Sci. 2022; 8(3):1305-1310.

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Risk Factors for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection among Camel Populations, Southern Jordan, 2014-2018.

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Scanning Electron Microscopic Findings on Respiratory Organs of Some Naturally Infected Dromedary Camels with the Lineage-B of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia-2018.

Alnaeem A, Kasem S, Qasim I, Refaat M, Alhufufi A, Al-Doweriej A Pathogens. 2021; 10(4).

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Hemida M, Alhammadi M, Almathen F, Alnaeem A J Med Virol. 2021; 93(9):5328-5332.

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