First isolation of West Nile virus from a dromedary camel.

West Nile virushas been discovered in camels, raising the possibility that they may act as a reservoir for the virus. Patrick Woo of the University of Hong Kong and co-workers recovered West Nile virus(WNV) from the corpse of a dromedary camelcalf in Dubai. Genome analysis showed that the genes related to pathogenicity were intact, but the calf from which the viruswas isolated had no clinical signs of WNV, leaving its impact on camels unknown. While earlier studies have detected antibodies against WNV in dromedary camelsin North Africa and the Middle East, this is the first time, according to the authors, that the virusitself has been isolated from camels. Further studies will have to investigate how the virusaffects camels and whether they can serve as a source of infection.