The emergence of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus

Abstract

On September 20, 2012, a Saudi Arabian physician reported the isolation of a novel coronavirus from a patient with pneumonia on ProMED-mail. Within a few days the same virus was detected in a Qatari patient receiving intensive care in a London hospital, a situation reminiscent of the role air travel played in the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002. SARS-CoV originated in China’s Guangdong Province and affected more than 8000 patients in 26 countries before it was contained six months later. Over a year after the emergence of this novel coronavirus—Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)—it has caused 178 laboratory confirmed cases and 76 deaths The emergence of a second highly pathogenic coronavirus within a decade highlights the importance of a coordinated global response incorporating reservoir surveillance, high-containment capacity with fundamental and applied research programs, and dependable communication pathways to ensure outbreak containment. Here we review the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology, ecology, molecular biology, clinical features and intervention strategies of the novel coronavirus, MERS-CoV.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Study about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) among Population in Saudi Arabia

“…However, an evidence indicates that Coronavirus originated from dromedary camels [2]. A serological study suggests that almost 90% of all camels in Africa and the Middle East were seropositive for Coronavirus, whereas other animals such as sheep, goats and cows were found to be negative [8]. A populationbased seroepidemiologic study suggests that the seroprevalence of the virus was several folds higher in people who were exposed to camels compared with that in the general population [9].…”

Detection and molecular characterization of zoonotic viruses in swine fecal samples in Italian pig herds

“…However, risks related to professional contact or environmental contamination may also be high [2][3][4].…”

No Evidence of Coronavirus Infection by Reverse Transcriptase-PCR in Bats in Belgium

“…The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (CoV) is an emerging betacoronavirus causing severe acute respiratory infection in the deep airways and lungs of humans (Milne-Price et al 2014). The first cases were retrospectively identified in April 2012.…”