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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus experimental transmission using a pig model
Author(s) -
VergaraAlert J.,
Raj V. S.,
Muñoz M.,
Abad F. X.,
Cordón I.,
Haagmans B. L.,
Bensaid A.,
Segalés J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.12668
Subject(s) - middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus , virology , transmission (telecommunications) , biology , virus , coronavirus , livestock , respiratory system , veterinary medicine , covid-19 , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , ecology , electrical engineering , engineering , disease , anatomy
Summary Dromedary camels are the main reservoir of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ( MERS ‐CoV), but other livestock species (i.e., alpacas, llamas, and pigs) are also susceptible to infection with MERS ‐CoV. Animal‐to‐animal transmission in alpacas was reported, but evidence for transmission in other species has not been proved. This study explored pig‐to‐pig MERS ‐CoV transmission experimentally. Virus was present in nasal swabs of infected animals, and limited amounts of viral RNA , but no infectious virus were detected in the direct contact pigs. No virus was detected in the indirect contact group. Furthermore, direct and indirect contact pigs did not develop specific antibodies against MERS ‐CoV. Therefore, the role of pigs as reservoir is probably negligible, although it deserves further confirmation.