In 2012, a previously unknown human coronavirus (CoV), now named Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV), was isolated from the sputum of a 60-year-old man in Saudi Arabia who presented with acute pneumonia with a fatal outcome (1, 2). To date, several infection clusters have been reported over a 1-year period, with around 50% of the reported human cases being fatal (3). MERS-CoV represents a novel betacoronavirus species, with the closest known relatives being clade 2c bat CoVs detected in bats (4, 5). Although MERS-CoV replicates in cells of bats, pigs, and (non-)human primates (6), its ability to infect some animal species may be restricted given the fact that hamsters were shown to resist MERS-CoV infection (7). However, these host factors have not been well characterized.We recently identified dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) as a functional MERS-CoV receptor in human and bat cells (8). To further analyze DPP4 usage by MERS-CoV in vivo, ferrets (Mustela putorius furo; n ϭ 4), known to be susceptible to several respiratory viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS- staining or S1-Fc binding on ferret kidney cells incubated with either goat anti-DPP4 polyclonal serum or S1-Fc (5 g/ml) followed by incubation with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled rabbit anti-goat IgG antibody or FITC-labeled goat anti-human IgG, respectively (red lines). Normal goat serum, feline CoV S1-Fc protein (blue lines), and mock-incubated cells (gray shading) were used as controls. (E) MERS-CoV infection of primary ferret kidney cells transfected with a control plasmid or with a plasmid encoding hDPP4, stained for DPP4, S1 binding, and MERS-CoV as described previously (13).

Staphylococcus schweitzeri has been recently considered to be a highly divergent Staphylococcus aureus clade and usually colonises nonhuman primates and bats in sub-Saharan Africa. Its transmissibility to humans remains unclear. We therefore investigated the transmission of S. aureus and S. schweitzeri among humans, domestic animals, and wildlife in three remote African regions. A cross-sectional study on nasal and pharyngeal colonisation in humans (n = 1288) and animals (n = 698) was performed in Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Isolates were subjected to spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. Antimicrobial susceptibility and selected virulence factors were tested. S. schweitzeri was found in monkeys from all study sites but no transmission to humans was evident, despite frequent contact of humans with wildlife. In contrast, human-associated S. aureus sequence types (ST1, ST6, ST15) were detected in domestic animals and nonhuman primates, pointing toward a human-to-monkey transmission in the wild. The proportion of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) among all S. aureus was 0% (Gabon), 1.7% (DR Congo), and 5.3% (Côte d'Ivoire). The majority of MRSA isolates belonged to the African clone ST88. In conclusion, we did not find any evidence for a transmission of S. schweitzeri from animals to humans. However, such a transmission might remain possible due to the close phylogenetic relation of humans and nonhuman primates. The ST88-MRSA clone was widespread in Côte d'Ivoire but not in Gabon and DR Congo.

The role of Africa in the dynamics of the global spread of a zoonotic and economically-important virus, such as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5Nx of the Gs/GD lineage, remains unexplored. Here we characterise the spatiotemporal patterns of virus diffusion during three HPAI H5Nx intercontinental epidemic waves and demonstrate that Africa mainly acted as an ecological sink of the HPAI H5Nx viruses. A joint analysis of host dynamics and continuous spatial diffusion indicates that poultry trade as well as wild bird migrations have contributed to the virus spreading into Africa, with West Africa acting as a crucial hotspot for virus introduction and dissemination into the continent. We demonstrate varying paths of avian influenza incursions into Africa as well as virus spread within Africa over time, which reveal that virus expansion is a complex phenomenon, shaped by an intricate interplay between avian host ecology, virus characteristics and environmental variables.

A fox circovirus was identified in serum samples from foxes with unexplained neurologic signs by using viral metagenomics. Fox circovirus nucleic acid was localized in histological lesions of the cerebrum by in situ hybridization. Viruses from the family Circoviridae may have neurologic tropism more commonly than previously anticipated.

This article summarizes progress in research on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) since a FAO-OIE-WHO Global Technical Meeting held at WHO Headquarters in Geneva on 25-27 September 2017. The meeting reviewed the latest scientific findings and identified and prioritized the global activities necessary to prevent, manage and control the disease. Critical needs for research and technical guidance identified during the meeting have been used to update the WHO R&D MERS-CoV Roadmap for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines and a broader public health research agenda. Since the 2017 meeting, progress has been made on several key actions in animal populations, at the animal/human interface and in human populations. This report also summarizes the latest scientific studies on MERS since 2017, including data from more than 50 research studies examining the presence of MERS-CoV infection in dromedary camels.