Analysis of the metagenomic assembled genome of MERS-CoV and Alpha-CoV from Camelus dromedarius in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

Dromedary camels are known carriers of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This study aimed to identify respiratory RNA viruses circulating in the nasal cavities of camels that could potentially cause disease in humans.

METHODS

Shotgun metagenomic paired-end sequencing was performed on four pools of nasal swabs collected from 40 camels originating from Sudan and Djibouti, using the MiSeq platform.

RESULTS

Alphacoronavirus 229E was commonly detected in the camel pools. MERS-CoV was found in both pools from Sudan and one from Djibouti. Camel parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) was detected in the male camel pool from Sudan. Furthermore, near-complete (99.9 %) metagenomic assembled genomes (MAGs) of alphacoronavirus 229E (SIAU MAG01) and MERS-CoV (SIAU MAG02) were retrieved from the female camel pool from Sudan. Another MAG of alphacoronavirus 229E (SIAU MAG03) was recovered from a male camel pool imported from Sudan. In the phylogenetic analysis, SIAU MAG02 clustered with MERS-CoV genome sequences retrieved from humans and camels in the Middle East. The alphacoronavirus 229E MAGs from camels formed a distinct clade separate from the human alphacoronavirus 229E lineage. SIAU MAG04 clustered with PIV3 sequences recovered from Camelus dromedarius in the United Arab Emirates.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, respiratory viruses belonging to alpha and beta coronaviruses, notably MERS-CoV, recognized by the World Health Organization as an emerging infectious disease of critical concern, were observed in dromedary camels from African origins, potentially posing a risk of transmission to humans.