Seropositivity rate of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Iraqi dromedary Arabic camels Karim S. Ali Al-Ajeeli1; Abdulrazak SH. Hasan2 and Usama Abdul karim Ayish3

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Karim S. Ali Al-Ajeeli

Abstract

     This study was conducted to determine the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus infection rate among Iraqi dromedary camels and to explore its risk factor. A total of 167 blood samples were collected, ninety of them were selected randomly and included in the study from 50 males (55.6%) and 40 females (44.4%). The age range was 1-15 years. Samples were collected from Al Najaf-slaughter house. Sera were separated and tested for the presence of anti-MERS-CoV IgG using the recombivirus Camel anti-MERS-CoV spike protein S1 domain (MERS-S1) IgG ELISA kit. The results revealed that 81(90.0%) of camels included in this study were positive for anti-MERS-CoV IgG, with 95% confidence interval for the prevalence rate (82.5-94.9). Additionally, the Inter-quartile range of anti-MERS-CoV IgG titer was (5-19.7) and a mean rank of 99.8 U/ml. The highest positivity rate was among camels 10-15 years old with statistically insignificant difference (P= 0.88). Similarly, the anti-MERS-CoV IgG Ab titer was insignificantly higher in the same age group (P= 0.79). The anti- MERS-CoV IgG positivity rate was equally distributed among female and male camels (90.0%), so the difference was statistically insignificant (P=1). While the mean, median and Inter-quartile range of anti-MERSCoV-IgG titer was insignificantly higher among males compared to females (P=0.57). In conclusion, the majority of Iraqi camels are infected by MERS-CoV. Further studies are urgently needed to explore the ability of Iraqi camels to transmit the virus to human population.

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How to Cite
Seropositivity rate of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Iraqi dromedary Arabic camels: Karim S. Ali Al-Ajeeli1; Abdulrazak SH. Hasan2 and Usama Abdul karim Ayish3. (2018). The Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 41(2), 163-167. https://doi.org/10.30539/iraqijvm.v41i2.66
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How to Cite

Seropositivity rate of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus among Iraqi dromedary Arabic camels: Karim S. Ali Al-Ajeeli1; Abdulrazak SH. Hasan2 and Usama Abdul karim Ayish3. (2018). The Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 41(2), 163-167. https://doi.org/10.30539/iraqijvm.v41i2.66

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