A study explores the zoonotic potential of MERS coronaviruses in Africa. Dromedary camels are the zoonotic source of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Although 70% of MERS-CoV-infected camels are found in Africa, human disease has been reported only in the Arabian Peninsula. Malik Peiris and colleagues compared the infection rates of six genetically diverse MERS-CoV strains from Africa with a human strain and a camel strain from Saudi Arabia. The authors measured the replication competence of the coronaviruses in human bronchial and lung tissue cultures as well as in human-DPP4 knock-in mice, which are susceptible to MERS-CoV infection, and found that the coronaviruses from Saudi Arabia have replication rates up to 100-fold higher than coronaviruses from Africa. Next, the authors analyzed the impact of spike protein differences on infection rates, using lentiviruses carrying MERS-CoV spike proteins as well as recombinant viruses produced through reverse genetics. The results revealed that the spike protein of a West African coronavirus is less successful at entering a respiratory epithelial cell line compared with the spike protein of a Saudi Arabian coronavirus, suggesting that spike protein differences contribute to the difference in virulence. According to the authors, the findings suggest that MERS-CoV in Africa might carry the potential for an outbreak of global concern if the coronaviruses there adapt for increased transmission and virulence in humans.
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Article #2021-03984 "Phenotypic and genetic characterization of MERS coronaviruses from Africa to understand their zoonotic potential" by Ziqi Zhou, Kenrie Hui, et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Malik Peiris, University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG; tel: +94 76 094 8469; email: < malik@hku.hk >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences