Scientists have uncovered more evidence citing camels as the cause for the recent MERS-CoV virus outbreak sweeping across the Middle East.
Whole genome sequencing taken from nasal swabs of Saudi Arabian camels is the newest method researchers have used to confirm their beliefs, according to CBS News. They found a number of MERS subtypes in DNA of the animals, including one identical to the virus infecting humans, scientifically known as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
Spring 2012 marked the first documented cases, and since then MERS has sickened at least 339 people in Saudi Arabia alone and killed nearly a third of them, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, CNN reported. United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt were also affected.
But 26 new cases were reported over the weekend, and scientists worry that the worst of the virus is not over.
Read the full, original story: Further Evidence Blames Camels for MERS Virus Outbreak
