There are four globally endemic human coronaviruses which, together with the better known rhinoviruses, are responsible for causing common colds. Usually, infections with these viruses are harmless to humans. DZIF professor Christian Drosten, Institute of Virology at the University Hospital of Bonn, and his research team have now found the source of HCoV-229E, one of the four common cold coronaviruses--it also originates from camels, just like the MERS virus.
There are four globally endemic human coronaviruses which, together with the better known rhinoviruses, are responsible for causing common colds. Usually, infections with these viruses are harmless to humans. DZIF professor Christian Drosten, Institute of Virology at the University Hospital of Bonn, and his research team have now found the source of HCoV-229E, one of the four common cold coronaviruses--it also originates from camels, just like the MERS virus.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus was identified in humans for the first time in 2012. It causes severe respiratory tract infections that are often fatal. Dromedaries were confirmed to be its animal source some time ago.
"In our MERS investigations we examined about 1,000 camels for coronaviruses and were surprised to find pathogens that are related to 'HCoV-229E', the human common cold virus, in almost six percent of the cases," says Drosten. Further comparative molecular genetic analysis of common cold viruses in bats, humans and dromedaries suggests that this common cold virus was actually transmitted from camels to humans.
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