Résumé
En 2012, une nouvelle maladie virale émergente est apparue au Moyen-Orient, le MERS, abréviation en anglais pour « Syndrome respiratoire du Moyen-Orient ». Au 9 janvier 2014, elle avait déjà touché 178 personnes dans le monde, dont 75 étaient décédées dans un tableau d’insuffisance respiratoire et de diarrhée. La nouvelle maladie ressemblait cliniquement au SRAS (2002–2003), de sinistre mémoire, et comme le SRAS, était provoquée par un Betacoronavirus nouveau. On a donc pensé que des chiroptères pouvaient être à l’origine du MERS. D’ailleurs, de nouvelles études ont montré qu’en Arabie Saoudite un exemplaire de la chauve-souris Taphozous perforatus hébergeait un segment de quelques nucléotides identique au segment homologue de la souche isolée du cas-index de l’épidémie. De plus, de nombreuses souches de Betacoronavirus, plus ou moins proches génétiquement de celles responsables du MERS chez l’Homme, ont été isolées de chauves-souris en Afrique, en Asie et en Europe. Mais, une autre hypothèse a été proposée simultanément incriminant le dromadaire (Camelus dromedarius L) comme acteur très vraisemblable dans la transmission de la maladie. Elle est basée sur des observations épidémiologiques et les résultats de plusieurs enquêtes sérologiques. Un bilan des autres zoonoses virales dans lesquelles le dromadaire est plus ou moins impliqué renforce cette hypothèse: le MERS-CoV, l’agent étiologique du nouveau syndrome, pourrait bien être véhiculé par cet animal.
Abstract
In 2012 a new viral emergent human disease appeared in the Middle East. This entity was named MERS for’ Middle East respiratory syndrome’. By January 9, 2014, the disease had already struck 178 persons of whom 75 died from respiratory failure and diarrhoea. As the new disease was very similar to the deadly SARS (2002–2003) and since it was provoked by a Betacoronavirus, chiroptera were first suspected to be at the origin of this infection. Morever, recent studies performed in Saudi Arabia showed that one individual of the bat Taphozous perforatus harbored a short nucleotide segment identical to the homologous segment present in the viral strain isolated from the index-case of the epidemic. In addition, many strains of Betacoronavirus more or less related to those responsible for the MERS disease in man have been isolated from bats in Africa, Asia and Europe. However, another hypothesis was simultaneously proposed incriminating dromedary (Camelus dromedarius L.) as a likely actor in the transmission to human beings of the disease.We then reviewed data relative to other viral zoonosis in which dromedary was possibly implicated. This led to the provisional conclusion that this large mammal might play a role in the dissemination of the MERS-COV, the etiologic agent of the disease. This is based on epidemiological data and results of several serological surveys in animals.
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Chastel, C. Le « syndrome respiratoire du Moyen-Orient » (MERS) : qui est responsable, les chauves-souris ou le dromadaire ?. Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot. 107, 69–73 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-014-0333-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-014-0333-1
Mots clés
- Syndrome respiratoire du Moyen-Orient
- Betacoronavirus
- Chauves-souris
- Dromadaire
- Transmission à l’Homme