Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A review

As a novel coronavirus first reported by Saudi Arabia in 2012, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is responsible for an acute human respiratory syndrome. The virus, of 2C beta-CoV lineage, expresses the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) receptor and is densely endemic in dromeda...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Germs (Bucureşti) 2019-03, Vol.9 (1), p.35-42
Main Authors: Ramadan, Nour, Shaib, Houssam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beef cattle
Coronaviruses
Disease transmission
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Fatalities
Genomes
Health aspects
Hospitals
Infections
Infectious diseases
Intelligence gathering
Kidneys
Laboratories
Middle East respiratory syndrome
Novels
Pathogenesis
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Proteins
Public health
Respiratory diseases
Review
RNA polymerase
Vaccines
Virology
Viruses
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As a novel coronavirus first reported by Saudi Arabia in 2012, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is responsible for an acute human respiratory syndrome. The virus, of 2C beta-CoV lineage, expresses the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) receptor and is densely endemic in dromedary camels of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. MERS-CoV is zoonotic but human-to-human transmission is also possible. Surveillance and phylogenetic researches indicate MERS-CoV to be closely associated with bats' coronaviruses, suggesting bats as reservoirs, although unconfirmed. With no vaccine currently available for MERS-CoV nor approved prophylactics, its global spread to over 25 countries with high fatalities highlights its role as ongoing public health threat. An articulated action plan ought to be taken, preferably from a One Health perspective, for appropriately advanced countermeasures against MERS-CoV.
ISSN:2248-2997
2248-2997
DOI:10.18683/germs.2019.1155