Camels: the Confirmed Source of MERS

Nearly 100 percent of camels are carrying the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus in some regions, and they may have been doing so for a very long time, according to a recent study.

The study, published in the scientific peer-reviewed journal mBio, set out to identify and track the MERS virus in various potential animal species.

Camels, researchers quickly found, commonly carry the MERS virus strain that is currently sweeping across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, infecting nearly 340 people in Saudi Arabia alone since it was first identified in the Spring of 2012.

A great many dangerous viral and bacterial infections have been known to originate from animals long before they found a foothold in human populations. Bird flu, and even the ancestor of our current strains of influenza have been traced back to domesticated avian origins. Even the current Ebola outbreak that has killed well over 110 people in West and Central Africa this year has been traced to the handling and consumption of wild fruit bats.

According to the study, a team of researchers from Columbia University, King Saud University, and the EcoHealth Alliance surveyed and tested domesticated animals, including camels, all across Saudi Arabia. Genetic testing from DNA swabs taken from the animals showed that while domestic sheep and goats common to the region showed no signs of carrying the virus, an estimated three fourths of all dromeday camels in Saudi Arabia were found to be carrying the same strain of the MERS virus that is currently infecting the country's human population. In some regions, according to the study, 100 percent of the camels tested were found to be carriers of the virus.

While the Middle East respiratory infection is contagious in humans, the virus expressed itself differently -- if at all -- in camels, prompting the researchers to launch an investigation into means of camel-to-human infection outside of sneezing or coughing alone.

"Given these new data, we are now investigating potential routes for human infection through exposure to camel milk or meat products," searcher Abdulaziz Alagaili of King Saud University said to NBC News.

The study was published in mBio, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology, on February 25.

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