A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index Search Dropdown × Submit Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate Emerging Infectious Disease journal ISSN: 1080-6059 Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.
In 2025, a respiratory disease outbreak occurred among camels in Kazakhstan. We detected Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus by using quantitative reverse transcription PCR in 38 symptomatic camels, demonstrating active circulation in Central Asia. Our findings highlight the need for enhanced surveillance to assess zoonotic transmission risk.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic betacoronavirus primarily found in dromedary camels and capable of causing severe respiratory disease in humans ( 1 – 3 ). MERS-CoV circulates widely in camel populations in the Arabian Peninsula and Africa ( 4 ), whereas data from Central Asia remain limited. In Kazakhstan, serologic investigations conducted in 2015 found no evidence of MERS-CoV infection in camelids ( 5 ). A study published in 2022, detected antibodies reactive to MERS or MERS-like coronaviruses in both Bactrian and dromedary camels, suggesting previous exposure without molecular evidence of active infection ( 6 ). Molecular testing of 48 asymptomatic camels sampled from the same population in 2020 was negative for MERS-CoV ( 7 ), and no viral RNA was detected in 13 samples collected from symptomatic camels in the same herd in 2023. In late November 2025, camel herders in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan reported a respiratory disease outbreak affecting multiple herds. We investigated whether MERS-CoV was circulating during that outbreak.
Figure 1 . Choropleth representation of camel density used in a study of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus camels, Kazakhstan, 2025. Camel sampling sites and areas with anecdotal reports of symptomatic camels are...
The Mangystau region in southwestern Kazakhstan, which borders Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, contains approximately one third of the country’s camel population ( Figure 1 ). In western Kazakhstan, camel production primarily involves extensive pastoral and seminomadic systems with seasonal animal movement, mixed dromedary–Bactrian herds, and congregation at shared grazing areas and watering points, which might enable pathogen transmission between herds.
The outbreak began in late November 2025, when temperatures were below freezing. Affected animals were predominantly dromedaries, although affected Bactrian camels were also found in mixed herds. Clinical signs included lacrimation, nasal discharge, and intermittent cough, which were observed in both juvenile and adult camels. Questionnaire data from camel breeders and veterinary practitioners, indicated similar respiratory disease in multiple areas of Mangystau region, and comparable signs were also reported by camel breeders in Turkistan region.
During December 1–18, 2025, we collected nasopharyngeal swab samples from 38 symptomatic camels from multiple MERS-CoV–positive herds or households in different settlements within the rural district. That sampling accounted for ≈1.2% of the 3,190 camels registered in the affected rural district.
We extracted viral RNA from the nasal swab samples and evaluated for MERS-CoV RNA by using 1-step quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) targeting the upstream envel…