Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings
Human outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are more common in Middle Eastern and Asian human populations, associated with clades A and B. In Africa, where clade C is dominant in camels, human cases are minimal. We reviewed 16 studies (n = 6198) published across seven...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Andrew Karani Cynthia Ombok Silvia Situma Robert Breiman Marianne Mureithi Walter Jaoko M. Kariuki Njenga Isaac Ngere |
| author_facet | Andrew Karani Cynthia Ombok Silvia Situma Robert Breiman Marianne Mureithi Walter Jaoko M. Kariuki Njenga Isaac Ngere |
| author_sort | Andrew Karani |
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| description | Human outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are more common in Middle Eastern and Asian human populations, associated with clades A and B. In Africa, where clade C is dominant in camels, human cases are minimal. We reviewed 16 studies (n = 6198) published across seven African countries between 2012 and 2024 to assess human MERS-CoV cases. We also analyzed data from four cohort studies conducted in camel-keeping communities between 2018 and 2024 involving camel keepers, camel slaughterhouse workers, and hospital patients with acute respiratory illness (ARI). The analysis showed a pooled MERS-CoV prevalence of 2.4% (IQR: 0.6, 11.4) from 16 publications and 1.14% from 4 cohort studies (n = 2353). Symptomatic cases were rarely reported, with most individuals reporting camel contact, and only 12% had travel history to the Middle East. There was one travel-associated reported death, resulting in a mortality rate of 0.013%. The findings suggest a low camel-to-human transmission of clade C MERS-CoV in Africa. Ongoing research focuses on genomic comparisons between clade C and the more virulent clades A and B, alongside the surveillance of viral evolution. This study highlights the need for continuous monitoring but indicates that MERS-CoV clade C currently poses a minimal public health threat in Africa. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ab3e1c4ea96b4ca1923ade82618029992025-01-24T13:52:41ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152025-01-0117112510.3390/v17010125Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community SettingsAndrew Karani0Cynthia Ombok1Silvia Situma2Robert Breiman3Marianne Mureithi4Walter Jaoko5M. Kariuki Njenga6Isaac Ngere7Global Health Program, Washington State University Global Health-Kenya, Nairobi 00200, KenyaGlobal Health Program, Washington State University Global Health-Kenya, Nairobi 00200, KenyaGlobal Health Program, Washington State University Global Health-Kenya, Nairobi 00200, KenyaRollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USADepartment of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi 00200, KenyaDepartment of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi 00200, KenyaGlobal Health Program, Washington State University Global Health-Kenya, Nairobi 00200, KenyaGlobal Health Program, Washington State University Global Health-Kenya, Nairobi 00200, KenyaHuman outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are more common in Middle Eastern and Asian human populations, associated with clades A and B. In Africa, where clade C is dominant in camels, human cases are minimal. We reviewed 16 studies (n = 6198) published across seven African countries between 2012 and 2024 to assess human MERS-CoV cases. We also analyzed data from four cohort studies conducted in camel-keeping communities between 2018 and 2024 involving camel keepers, camel slaughterhouse workers, and hospital patients with acute respiratory illness (ARI). The analysis showed a pooled MERS-CoV prevalence of 2.4% (IQR: 0.6, 11.4) from 16 publications and 1.14% from 4 cohort studies (n = 2353). Symptomatic cases were rarely reported, with most individuals reporting camel contact, and only 12% had travel history to the Middle East. There was one travel-associated reported death, resulting in a mortality rate of 0.013%. The findings suggest a low camel-to-human transmission of clade C MERS-CoV in Africa. Ongoing research focuses on genomic comparisons between clade C and the more virulent clades A and B, alongside the surveillance of viral evolution. This study highlights the need for continuous monitoring but indicates that MERS-CoV clade C currently poses a minimal public health threat in Africa.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/1/125MERS-CoVzoonoticcladesepidemiologycamelinfections |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Karani Cynthia Ombok Silvia Situma Robert Breiman Marianne Mureithi Walter Jaoko M. Kariuki Njenga Isaac Ngere Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings Viruses MERS-CoV zoonotic clades epidemiology camel infections |
| title | Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings |
| title_full | Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings |
| title_fullStr | Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings |
| title_short | Low-Level Zoonotic Transmission of Clade C MERS-CoV in Africa: Insights from Scoping Review and Cohort Studies in Hospital and Community Settings |
| title_sort | low level zoonotic transmission of clade c mers cov in africa insights from scoping review and cohort studies in hospital and community settings |
| topic | MERS-CoV zoonotic clades epidemiology camel infections |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/1/125 |
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