Replicative capacity of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was assessed in cell lines derived from livestock and peridomestic small mammals on the Arabian Peninsula. Only cell lines originating from goats and camels showed efficient replication of MERS-CoV. These results provide direction in the search for the intermediate host of MERS-CoV.
Keywords: Arabian Peninsula; MERS; Middle East respiratory syndrome; camels; cell culture; coronavirus; goats; intermediate host; livestock; viruses; zoonoses; zoonosis; zoonotic.