Sunday, July 6, 2025
ADVT 
Health

Deadly virus detected in camel barn

Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Jul, 2014 07:23 AM
    Researchers have detected genetic fragments of deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the air of a barn housing a camel infected with the virus.
     
    MERS is a serious viral respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus and can be transmitted by air to humans.
     
    For the study, researchers collected three air samples on Nov 7 last year from a camel barn here owned by a 43-year-old male MERS patient who later died from the condition.
     
    Using a technique called reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect gene expression, they found that the first air sample contained genetic fragments of MERS-CoV.
     
    This was the same day that one of the patient's camels tested positive for the disease.
     
    “The other samples did not test positive for MERS-CoV, suggesting short or intermittent shedding of the virus into the air surrounding the camels,” said lead study author Esam Azhar, an associate professor of medical virology at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
     
    Additional experiments confirmed the presence of MERS-CoV-specific genetic sequences in the first air sample.
     
    “The clear message here is that detection of airborne MERS-CoV molecules warrants further investigation to prevent possible airborne transmission of this deadly virus to humans,” Azhar noted.
     
    Till June 11, MERS had been identified in 699 people and 209 people have died from the condition, according to the World Health Organisation.
     
    The research was published in the journal mBio.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Common cholesterol drug linked to death risk

    Common cholesterol drug linked to death risk
    Niacin, a common cholesterol drug for 50 years, should no longer be prescribed owing to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes, researchers said.

    Common cholesterol drug linked to death risk

    Eat leafy vegetables to reset biological clock

    Eat leafy vegetables to reset biological clock
    Lipoic acid, found at higher levels in organ meats and leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, may help reset and synchronise circadian rhythms or the "biological clock" found in most life forms, says a study.

    Eat leafy vegetables to reset biological clock

    Divorce can lead to high blood pressure

    Divorce can lead to high blood pressure
    Just had a divorce and facing persistent sleep problems? Check your blood pressure as you may be at the risk of potentially harmful increase in blood pressure, says a study.

    Divorce can lead to high blood pressure

    True happiness lies in your DNA

    True happiness lies in your DNA
    Looking for eternal happiness? Try to match the DNA of Danish people.

    True happiness lies in your DNA

    Statins may increase life of diabetics: Study

    Statins may increase life of diabetics: Study
    The use of cholesterol-lowering statins may help prolong the lives of people with diabetic cardiovascular disease, says a new research.

    Statins may increase life of diabetics: Study

    Influenza patients in US wrongly prescribed antibiotics?

    Influenza patients in US wrongly prescribed antibiotics?
    Taking antibiotics does not help patients suffering from influenza, a viral disease, but nearly 30 percent of the flu patients who were treated during the 2012-2013 influenza season in the US may have been prescribed unnecessary antibiotics instead of antiviral therapy, says a study.

    Influenza patients in US wrongly prescribed antibiotics?