Abstract
Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses that can cause disease outbreaks ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndrome. Since 2003, three zoonotic members of this family evolved to cross species barriers infecting humans and resulting in relatively high case fatality rates (CFR). Compared to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV, CFR = 10%) and pandemic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, CFR = 6%), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has scored the highest CFR (approximately 35%). In this review, we systematically summarize the current state of scientific knowledge about MERS-CoV, including virology and origin, epidemiology, zoonotic mode of transmission, and potential therapeutic or prophylactic intervention modalities.
Highlights
Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to the Coronaviridae family and Nidovirales order
MERS-CoV is well-maintained in dromedary camels, resulting in asymptomatic to benign illness
Dromedary camels serve as a major reservoir of the virus with silent spillover human infections
Summary
Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to the Coronaviridae family and Nidovirales order They are enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses, with the largest genome of all RNA viruses (26–32 kb) [1]. Most cases were reported in countries of the Arabian Peninsula, especially KSA [7,8] This MERS-CoV outbreak reminded the international public health authorities of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak of the early 2000s that was caused by another CoV, the Severe. Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) [9] Even though both SARS- and MERS-CoV belong to the same family, the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2003 was associated with a high incidence rate due to its efficient human-to-human transmission, but low case fatality rate (10%). The MERS-CoV mortality rate is overestimated owing to lack of data on asymptomatic and mild cases
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