Antibodies against MERS Coronavirus in Dromedary Camels, United Arab Emirates, 2003 and 2013

• DOI: 10.3201/eid2004.131746
• Publication Date: 2014-02-26T14:14:09Z
• Authors: Benjamin Meyer; Marcel A. Müller; Victor M. Corman; Chantal B.E.M. Re...; Daniel Ritz; Gert-Jan Godeke; Erik Lattwein; Stephan Kallies; Artem Siemens; Janko van Beek; Jan F. Drexler; Doreen Muth; Berend-Jan Bosch; Ulrich Wernery; Marion P.G. Koopmans; Renate Wernery; Christian Drosten
• Keywords: Coronavirus; Antibody titer

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has caused an ongoing outbreak of severe acute tract infection in humans the Arabian Peninsula since 2012. Dromedary camels have been implicated as possible viral reservoirs. We used serologic assays to analyze 651 dromedary camel serum samples from United Arab Emirates; 151 were obtained 2003, well before onset current epidemic, and 500 2013. Recombinant spike protein–specific immunofluorescence virus neutralization tests enabled clear discrimination between MERS-CoV bovine CoV infections. Most (632/651, 97.1%) had antibodies against MERS-CoV. This result included all 2003. (389/651, 59.8%) MERS-CoV–neutralizing antibody titers >1,280. Emirates infected at high rates with or a closely related, probably conspecific, long first human MERS cases.