Molecular Evidence of Influenza A Virus Circulation in African Dromedary Camels Imported to Saudi Arabia, 2017-2018

Abdulaziz Alghamdi; Ahmed M Hassan; Ahmed M Tolah; Sawsan S Alamari; Abdulrahman A Alzahrani; Ghaleb A Alsaaidi; Turki S Abujamel; Esam I Azhar; Anwar M Hashem

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz370

Molecular Evidence of Influenza A Virus Circulation in African Dromedary Camels Imported to Saudi Arabia, 2017-2018

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Sep 30;6(10):ofz370. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz370. eCollection 2019 Oct.

Authors

Abdulaziz Alghamdi^{1

2

3}, Ahmed M Hassan², Ahmed M Tolah², Sawsan S Alamari³, Abdulrahman A Alzahrani⁴, Ghaleb A Alsaaidi⁴, Turki S Abujamel^{1

3}, Esam I Azhar^{1

2}, Anwar M Hashem^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Directorate of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Little is known about influenza A viruses in dromedaries. Here, we detected influenza A viral RNA in 11 specimens (1.7 %) out of 665 nasal swabs collected from dromedaries between 2017 and 2018 in Saudi Arabia. Positive samples were detected only in imported camels from Sudan and Djibouti but not local ones. Partial genome sequencing indicates a close relationship to 2009-2019 human/swine influenza A H1N1 isolates from different countries, suggesting possible interspecies transmission. Taken together, dromedaries could represent a potentially unrecognized permissive host for these viruses, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance in animals to aid implementation of one-health strategies.

Keywords: Africa; Saudi Arabia; camels; dromedaries; influenza A viruses; surveillance.