DISCUSSION == These findings demonstrate high MERSCoVspecific neutralizing antibody titres suggest that MERSCoV, or a related virus, has circulated through dromedary camels in Israel, extending the known geographic range of MERSCoV circulation in camels. detectable in 51 (71.8%) camel sera, and no association was observed between the presence of neutralizing antibodies and camel age or gender. These findings extend the known range of MERSCoV circulation in Middle Eastern camels. The high rate of MERSCoVspecific antibody seropositivity in dromedary camels in the absence of any reported human MERS cases suggests that there is still much to IPI-549 be learned about the dynamics of cameltohuman transmission of MERSCoV. Keywords:coronavirus, dromedary camels, MERSCoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus == Impacts. == Israels geographic location places Israeli citizens at risk for MERSCoV infection. To date, MERSCoVrelated illness has not been reported in Israel. Dromedary camels are one potential source of human MERSCoV infection; the seroprevalence of MERSCoVspecific antibodies in Israeli dromedary camels is unknown. In this study, MERSCoV seroprevalence in dromedary camels was 72% across four farms in Israel. The high prevalence of MERSCoV antibodies in camels and the absence of human MERS cases suggest that there is much to be learned about cameltohuman transmission of MERSCoV. == 1. INTRODUCTION == Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERSCoV, a member of the Betacoronavirus genus lineage C, was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. As of January 29, 2018, there were 2,123 laboratoryconfirmed human MERSCoV cases reported to WHO, including at least 740 MERSCoVrelated deaths (WHO,2018). Multiple studies suggest that dromedary camels are a major source for human MERSCoV infection. MERSCoVspecific antibodies have been detected in the serum of dromedary camels across Northern Africa, including Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia, and across the Arabian Peninsula, including Rabbit Polyclonal to Notch 2 (Cleaved-Asp1733) Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and United Arab Emirates (Corman et al.,2014; Hemida et al.,2014; Meyer et al.,2014; Muller et al.,2014). MERSCoV neutralizing antibodies have been detected in 30yearold archived camel serum samples, suggesting longterm circulation of MERSCoV in dromedaries in this region (Muller et al.,2014). MERSCoV genome has been detected, isolated and sequenced from camel respiratory specimens in Northern Africa, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, and from an air sample of a camel barn owned by a known MERSCoVinfected human (Alagaili et al.,2014; Azhar et al.,2014; Chu et al.,2015; Haagmans et al.,2014; Raj et IPI-549 al.,2014). Genomic and epidemiologic studies comparing MERSCoV sequences from household clusters and camels, and of dromedary farms and human contacts in UAE (Muhairi et al.,2016; Paden et al.,2017), and of patients with corresponding MERSCoVpositive camels in Saudi Arabia (Kasem et al.,2017) demonstrate that camels are a potential source of human MERSCoV infection. Israel’s geographic location in the Middle East, bordering Jordan where human cases have been reported and MERSCoVspecific antibodies have been detected in the serum of dromedary camels, suggests Israeli citizens may be at risk for MERSCoV infection. However, to date, MERSCoVrelated illness has not been reported in Israel and the seroprevalence of MERSCoVspecific antibodies IPI-549 in Israeli dromedary camels is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MERSCoV seropositivity in Israeli camels. == 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS == == 2.1. Serum samples == Serum specimens from 71 dromedary camels across four different locations in Israel (Sites AD, Tables1and2) were collected between May and June 2013, as previously described (Rasis, Rudoler, Schwartz, & Giladi,2014). Farm A (n= 9) was located east of Jerusalem; farms BD (n= 15, 27 and 20, respectively) were located in the Negev desert, in southern Israel. The origin of these camels prior to their association with these four locations is unknown. These camels were used in the tourism industry. This study included both male (n= 19) and female (n= 52) camels ages 3 to over 20 years old. Blood samples were taken by jugular vein puncture. Serum samples were obtained on the day of collection from.