Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) clade B viruses are found in camelids and humans in the Middle East, but clade C viruses are not. We provide experimental evidence for extended shedding of MERS-CoV clade B viruses in llamas, which might explain why they outcompete clade C strains in the Arabian Peninsula.
Keywords: MERS-CoV; MERS-CoV clade C; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; Spain; camelid; llama; virus transmission; viruses.