Ongoing evolution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2023-2024

Hassan, A. M.; Mühlemann, B.; Al-Subhi, T. L.; Rodon, J.; El-Kafrawy, S. A.; Memish, Z.; Melchert, J.; Bleicker, T.; Mauno, T.; Perlman, S.; Zumla, A.; Jones, T. C.; Müller, M. A.; Corman, V. M.; Drosten, C.; Azhar, E. I.

doi:10.1101/2024.09.12.612455

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.09.12.612455

Ongoing evolution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2023-2024

Hassan, A. M.·Mühlemann, B.·Al-Subhi, T. L.·Rodon, J.·El-Kafrawy, S. A.·Memish, Z.·Melchert, J.·Bleicker, T.·Mauno, T.·Perlman, S.·Zumla, A.·Jones, T. C.·Müller, M. A.·Corman, V. M.·Drosten, C.·Azhar, E. I.

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Abstract

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) circulates in dromedary camels in the Arabian Peninsula and occasionally causes spillover infections in humans. Due to lack of sampling during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, current MERS-CoV diversity is poorly understood. Of 558 dromedary camel nasal swabs from Saudi Arabia, sampled November 2023 to January 2024, 39% were positive for MERS-CoV RNA by RT-PCR. We generated 42 MERS-CoV and seven human 229E-related CoV by high-throughput sequencing. For both viruses, the sequences fell into monophyletic clades apical to the most recent available genomes. The MERS-CoV sequences were most similar to those from lineage B5. The new MERS-CoVs sequences harbor unique genetic features, including novel amino acid polymorphisms in the Spike protein. The new variants require further phenotypic characterization to understand their impact. Ongoing MERS-CoV spillovers into humans pose significant public health concerns, emphasizing the need for continued surveillance and phenotypic studies.

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Hassan, A. M., Mühlemann, B., Al-Subhi, T. L., Rodon, J., El-Kafrawy, S. A., Memish, Z., Melchert, J., Bleicker, T., Mauno, T., Perlman, S., Zumla, A., Jones, T. C., Müller, M. A., Corman, V. M., Drosten, C., Azhar, E. I.. 2024-09-14. Ongoing evolution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2023-2024. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.12.612455

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