Low-Level Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Camel Handlers, Kenya, 2019

Emerg Infect Dis. 2021;27(4):1201-1205. doi: 10.3201/eid2704.204458.

Abstract

Although seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome is high among camels in Africa, researchers have not detected zoonotic transmission in Kenya. We followed a cohort of 262 camel handlers in Kenya during April 2018-March 2020. We report PCR-confirmed Middle East respiratory coronavirus syndrome in 3 asymptomatic handlers.

Keywords: Kenya; MERS-CoV; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; asymptomatic; camels; humans; infections; viral zoonoses; viruses; zoonoses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Asymptomatic Infections / epidemiology
  • Camelus
  • Coronavirus Infections* / diagnosis
  • Coronavirus Infections* / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / physiopathology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / virology
  • DNA, Viral / isolation & purification*
  • Disease Reservoirs / virology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kenya / epidemiology
  • Livestock / virology*
  • Male
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus* / genetics
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus* / isolation & purification
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Zoonoses* / epidemiology
  • Zoonoses* / transmission
  • Zoonoses* / virology

Substances

  • DNA, Viral