http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-N6N7JT6KLVRJ01-13NLGEABTNT8UJSCL1LVEU2J26
Camel Snot Blamed for Transmission of Deadly Respiratory Virus
Simeon BennettJun 04, 2014 5:00 pm ET
June 5 (Bloomberg) -- A Saudi man who died from the MERS virus
probably caught it after caring for one of his sick camels, the most
conclusive evidence so far that the humped mammals can infect humans.
The 44-year-old man died in November with Middle East respiratory
syndrome, about a month after treating a dromedary camel with nasal
discharge, researchers from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia
wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine. Samples taken from both
patient and camel found a genetically identical virus, the authors
said.
Previous studies found the bug in camels from the Canary Islands to
Ethiopia, along with signs that many of the people infected had
contact with the animals. But there was no conclusive evidence of
transmission until now.
"Camels may act as intermediate hosts that transmit the virus from its
reservoir to humans," the authors wrote. "The exact reservoir that
maintains the virus in its ecologic niche has yet to be identified."
The man in the study kept nine camels in a barn about 75 kilometers
(47 miles) south of Jeddah, the authors wrote. The patient and three
of his friends visited the camels daily. The owner fell ill about 7
days after applying a topical medicine in the nose of one of the four
sick camels, his friends told scientists. The friends, who had no
direct contact with the animals' secretions, remained free of the
virus.
Minister Fired
The man first developed fever, a runny nose and a cough, followed by
severe shortness of breath that caused him to be hospitalized. He died
two weeks later.
Saudi Arabia yesterday increased its estimate of the death toll from
the virus to 282 from 190 and the total number of cases to 688 from
575 after a review of cases stretching back to 2012. The government
also fired deputy health minister Ziad Memish, six weeks after
relieving health minister Abdullah al- Rabeeah of his duties.
MERS first came to light when a 60-year-old Saudi man died with severe
pneumonia and kidney failure in Jeddah in June 2012. Since then the
virus has spread globally, with cases reported in Europe, Africa, Asia
and the U.S.
The virus belongs to the same family of pathogens as SARS, which
killed about 800 people worldwide after first appearing in China more
than a decade ago.
MERS causes fever, cough and shortness of breath, leading in severe
cases to respiratory failure, organ failure and death. People with
weakened immune systems such as the elderly and those with diabetes,
cancer or chronic lung disease are most at risk. There's no vaccine
and no specific treatment.
The World Health Organization's emergency committee last month decided
against declaring MERS a global health emergency, citing the lack of
evidence for sustained human-to-human transmission. Most of the
infections have been because of poor infection-control practices in
hospitals, the WHO said.
Saudi Arabia expects millions of Muslims from around the world to
perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in early
October. The WHO doesn't recommend any travel restrictions related to
MERS, though Saudi Arabia has suggested that pilgrims over 65 years or
under 12, and pregnant women, refrain from the journey.
Received on Thu Jun 05 2014 - 20:54:33 EDT