TITLE:
A Paucity of Detection of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Nucleic Acids in the Vaginal Secretions and the Urine of Some Naturally Infected Dromedary Camels
AUTHORS:
Maged Gomaa Hemida, Ali M. Ali, Abdelmohsen Alnaeem
KEYWORDS:
MERS-CoV, rt-RT-PCR, Dromedary Camels, Nasal Swabs, Rectal Swabs, Vaginal Swabs, Urine
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.11 No.12,
December
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: The dromedary camels play some critical roles in the evolution and
transmission cycle of the MERS-CoV. There are no current available vaccines or
antiviral medications to do prevention or to
treat humans against the virus, respectively. Few studies reported the course
of the MERS-CoV infection in dromedary camels under both the experiment and
natural infection approaches. The curve of the viral particle, as well as its
nucleic acids in nasal secretions of the dromedary camels, was reported
in more details. However, MERS-CoV shedding in some other secretions such as vaginal
secretions still understudied. The main goal of the current study was to check
the possibility of MERS-CoV shedding of the MERS-CoV through the vaginal mucous
membranes of some female camels. To achieve these goals, we conducted molecular
surveillance on one dromedary camel herd in eastern Saudi Arabia. We collected the following
swabs per each animal (nasal, rectal, and vaginal) as well as urine samples
during the period from Jan 2020-April 2020. Testing of MERS-CoV nucleic acid
(NA) was conducted in these swabs by the real-time PCR kits. Our results are
showing that (47%, 21%, 0%, and 0%) of the (nasal, rectal, and vaginal) swabs,
as well as the urine, were positive, respectively. All the tested vaginal swabs
were negative. This may suggest the absence of MERS-CoV shedding in the female
genital tract and urine samples despite the detection of the viral NA in the
nasal swabs. This study is showing for the first time the failure of detection
of the MERS-CoV in the vaginal secretions of some naturally infected dromedary
camels. This result is enriching our understanding of the MERS-CoV shedding in
various body secretions and excretions.