Jul 22, 2014 11:09 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Scientists in Saudi Arabia have discovered traces of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the air of a camel barn.

According to Reuters, the new finding suggests the illness caused by the coronavirus (CoV) can be transmitted through the air. MERS first appeared in Saudi Arabia two years ago and has infected more than 850 people since, killing at least 327.

Though the disease has spread to Europe, Asia and the United States, the vast majority of cases are in the Middle East. In every case of MERS outside Saudi Arabia, infected patients had recently traveled from the Middle East where most worked in healthcare.

Experts previously believed MERS was transferrable through close human contact, since most of the infected patients worked in healthcare. While camels are believed to be the source of the illness, this is the first evidence to suggest MERS is transferrable though the air.

Esam Azhar, an associate professor of medical virology at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, led the study in which this revelation was reported. The study is published in the Journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"The clear message here is that detection of airborne MERS-CoV molecules, which were 100 percent identical with the viral genomic sequence detected from a camel actively shedding the virus in the same barn on the same day, warrants further investigations and measures to prevent possible airborne transmission of this deadly virus," Azhar told Reuters.

For his study, Azhar and his team visited a camel barn owned by a 43-year-old man who died from MERS. The deceased had applied medicine to four of his camels to treat a nasal discharge and he started experiencing the symptoms of MERS about a week later.

On three consecutive days, the researchers collected air samples from the barn. The same day they found MERS particles in the air, one of the camels tested positive for the disease, meaning all nine camels could have been infected.

"This study also underscores the importance of obtaining a detailed clinical history with particular emphasis on any animal exposure for any MERS case," Azhar said, "especially because recent reports suggest higher risk of (MERS) infections among people working with camels."

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit