Epidemiology and genomic features of MERS coronavirus in Africa: a systematic and meta-analysis review
We found the highest MERS-CoV RNA positivity in young dromedaries. Elevated MERS-CoV seroprevalence in mainly asymptomatic camel-exposed humans suggests an underestimation of MERS-CoV infections in Africa. The ongoing MERS-CoV evolution emphasises the need for active genomic surveillance to monitor signatures of human adaptation.
Authors
- Julius Oyugi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3702-7613)
- Nyamai Mutono (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7378-0007)
- Johanna Wildemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1299-4706)
- Brian Ogoti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4992-6838)
- Marianne Mureithi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9119-3167)
- Jordi Rodon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1032-9091)
- SM Thumbi
- Prof Christian Drosten
- Prof Marcel A. Müller
- Victor M. Corman
- Victor Riitho
Institutions
- University of Nairobi (KE)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2026-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2026.108456
- Primary Topic
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Egg Farmers of Canada
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft