The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) coronavirus could have been developed as a biological weapon, a Saudi Arabian official has said.

Abdullah Asiri, the ministry’s undersecretary for preventive health, was quoted by Arab News as saying that the the possibility of the virus having been developed as a weapon can't be ruled out.

The ministry would have to verify any information suggesting this was the case, Asiri was cited as saying in a local publication report.

The virus has a limited geographic spread and the source of it is still known, but but there is also no doubt that it has been found in camels, the official said.

He said researchers from the United States have confirmed the relationship between camels and the virus.

Ali Al-Barrak, a member of the Scientific Consultative Council, said it was possible for a disease to originate from sources not known to the medical community, but an investigation would have to confirm or disprove this possibility.

The virus has killed 513 people out of 1,205 cases in the country since June 2012.