Camelid Inoculation With Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: Experimental Models of Reservoir Host Infection

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 1370
• Main Authors: Adney, Danielle R, Clancy, Chad S, Bowen, Richard A, Munster, Vincent J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.11.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Alpacas; animal coronaviruses; Animals; Antibodies; Asymptomatic; camelid; Camelus - virology; Camelus dromedarius; Coronaviridae; Coronavirus Infections - pathology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronavirus Infections - virology; coronavirus pathogenesis; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease Reservoirs - virology; Disease transmission; Domestication; Epidemics; Humans; Infections; Inoculation; Laboratories; MERS-CoV; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - pathogenicity; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - physiology; Milk; Models, Biological; Patients; Public health; Pulmonary arteries; Pulmonary hypertension; Respiratory diseases; Review; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vaccination - veterinary; Virus Shedding; Zoonoses; Zoonoses - prevention & control; Zoonoses - transmission; Zoonoses - virology; Middle East; Saudi Arabia; coronavirus pathogenesis; MERS-CoV; animal coronaviruses; camelid
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v12121370

Within the past two decades, three zoonotic betacoronaviruses have been associated with outbreaks causing severe respiratory disease in humans. Of these, Middle East respiratory s yndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the only zoonotic coronavirus that is known to consistently result in frequent zoonotic spillover events from the proximate reservoir host-the dromedary camel. A comprehensive understanding of infection in dromedaries is critical to informing public health recommendations and implementing intervention strategies to mitigate spillover events. Experimental models of reservoir disease are absolutely critical in understanding the pathogenesis and transmission, and are key to testing potential dromedary vaccines against MERS-CoV. In this review, we describe experimental infections of dromedary camels as well as additional camelid models used to further understand the camel's role in MERS-CoV spillover to humans.