MERS Coronavirus: First Confirmed Case of Direct Dromedary-to-Human Transmission in Saudi Arabia

For the authors of this research work published in the American medical journal, New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), "the data suggest that a dromedary was the source of a MERS infection in a patient who had been in contact with the nasal secretions of this animal".

This 44-year-old Saudi man died due to the presence of "identical genetic sequences" in the isolated coronaviruses, the researchers say. All of which suggests "direct transmission between this animal and this individual without any other intermediate source".

The study also proved that this dromedary and eight others belonging to the victim had first been infected with MERS. It was only later that the patient had had contact with these animals. And the irreparable happened.