Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
U.S. Naval Medical Research Center - Asia, Singapore, Singapore.
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2023 Dec;12(1):2208678. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2208678.
Prospective cohort study to investigate the potential exposure to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) following Hajj pilgrims is still very limited. Here, we report the antibody seroconversion study results obtained from successive three years cohort studies (2016-2018) involving the Malaysian Hajj pilgrims returning from the Middle East. A cohort study of Hajj pilgrims from Malaysia enrolled 2,863 participants from 2016-2018, all of whom consented to provide paired blood samples for both pre- and post-Hajj travel to the Middle East. ELISAs and micro-neutralization assays were performed to detect the presence of MERS-CoV IgG antibodies. Sociodemographic data, symptoms experienced during Hajj, and history of exposure to camels or camel products were recorded using structured pre- and post-Hajj questionnaires. A 4-fold increase in anti-MERS-CoV IgG between paired pre-Hajj and post-Hajj serum samples in twelve participants was observed. None of the twelve ELISA-positive sera had detectable levels of virus-neutralizing antibodies. All reportedly had mild symptoms of respiratory symptoms at a certain point during the pilgrimage, implying mild or asymptomatic infections. No association between post-Hajj serum positivity and a history of exposure to camels or camel products was obtained. Findings from the study suggest that serologic conversion to MERS-CoV occurred in at least 0.6% of the Hajj pilgrims returning from the Middle East. Since all the seroconvertants had mild to no symptoms during the sampling period, it highlights the likelihood of occurrence of only low infectivity spillover infections among the Hajj pilgrims.
前瞻性队列研究调查朝觐者接触中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒(MERS-CoV)的潜在暴露情况仍然非常有限。在这里,我们报告了连续三年队列研究(2016-2018 年)从中东返回的马来西亚朝觐者获得的抗体血清转化研究结果。一项来自马来西亚的朝觐者队列研究纳入了 2016-2018 年的 2863 名参与者,他们都同意在朝觐前后前往中东旅行时提供配对的血液样本。使用结构预和后朝觐问卷记录了酶联免疫吸附测定(ELISA)和微量中和测定以检测 MERS-CoV IgG 抗体的存在。社会人口统计学数据、朝觐期间经历的症状以及接触骆驼或骆驼产品的历史。在 12 名参与者中,有 12 名参与者在配对的朝觐前和朝觐后血清样本中观察到抗-MERS-CoV IgG 增加了 4 倍。在 12 份 ELISA 阳性血清中,没有检测到病毒中和抗体的水平。所有报告的人在朝圣期间的某个时间都有轻微的呼吸道症状,暗示有轻度或无症状感染。未发现朝觐后血清阳性与接触骆驼或骆驼产品的历史之间存在关联。研究结果表明,至少有 0.6%从中东返回的朝觐者发生了血清学转化为 MERS-CoV。由于所有血清转化者在采样期间都有轻度至无症状,这突出表明朝觐者中只有低传染性溢出感染的可能性。