TY - JOUR AU - Vergara-Alert, Júlia AU - van den Brand, Judith M.A. AU - Widagdo, W. AU - Muñoz, Marta AU - Raj, Stalin AU - Schipper, Debby AU - Solanes, David AU - Cordón, Ivan AU - Bensaid, Albert AU - Haagmans, Bart AU - Segalés, Joaquim T1 - Livestock Susceptibility to Infection with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2017 VL - 23 IS - 2 SP - 232 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) cases continue to be reported, predominantly in Saudi Arabia and occasionally other countries. Although dromedaries are the main reservoir, other animal species might be susceptible to MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection and potentially serve as reservoirs. To determine whether other animals are potential reservoirs, we inoculated MERS-CoV into llamas, pigs, sheep, and horses and collected nasal and rectal swab samples at various times. The presence of MERS-CoV in the nose of pigs and llamas was confirmed by PCR, titration of infectious virus, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization; seroconversion was detected in animals of both species. Conversely, in sheep and horses, virus-specific antibodies did not develop and no evidence of viral replication in the upper respiratory tract was found. These results prove the susceptibility of llamas and pigs to MERS-CoV infection. Thus, the possibility of MERS-CoV circulation in animals other than dromedaries, such as llamas and pigs, is not negligible. KW - Middle East respiratory syndrome KW - coronavirus KW - MERS KW - MERS-CoV KW - livestock KW - pig KW - llama KW - horse KW - sheep KW - animal model KW - reservoir KW - dipeptidyl peptidase-4 KW - DPP4 KW - viruses KW - Spain DO - 10.3201/eid2302.161239 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/2/16-1239_article ER - End of Reference