MERS coronaviruses from camels in Africa exhibit region-dependent genetic diversity

Chu, Daniel K. W.; Hui, Kenrie P. Y.; Perera, Ranawaka A. P. M.; Miguel, Eve; Niemeyer, Daniela; Zhao, Jincun; Channappanavar, Rudragouda; Dudas, Gytis; Oladipo, Jamiu O.; Traoré, Amadou; Fassi-Fihri, Ouafaa; Ali, Abraham; Demissié, Getnet F.; Muth, Doreen; Chan, Michael C. W.; Nicholls, John M.; Meyerholz, David K.; Kuranga, Sulyman A.; Mamo, Gezahegne; Zhou, Ziqi; So, Ray T. Y.; Hemida, Maged G.; Webby, Richard J.; Roger, Francois; Rambaut, Andrew; Poon, Leo L. M.; Perlman, Stanley; Drosten, Christian; Chevalier, Veronique; Peiris, Malik

In conclusion, MERS-CoV in Africa are phylogenetically distinct but antigenically similar to those currently circulating in the Arabian Peninsula. Clade C1 MERS-CoV that are enzootic in dromedaries in West Africa had lower replication competence in human respiratory epithelium in vitro, in cultures of human bronchus and lung ex vivo, and in the lungs of experimentally infected mice. The genetic determinants of this reduced virus replication competence of clade C1 viruses remains to be established. It is possible that these observations may be relevant to explain the apparent lack of zoonotic disease in West Africa. It is important to note that viruses from Egypt were not phenotypically different to those from the Arabian Peninsula, and thus there is no indication that MERS-CoV from East Africa have reduced zoonotic potential. These findings highlight the need for more extensive and sustainable surveillance and monitoring systems, especially in East Africa, including seroepidemiologic studies in humans regularly exposed to dromedaries, to ascertain whether unrecognized zoonotic MERS infections are taking place.