Unraveling the mysteries of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

John T Watson,Aron J Hall,Dean D Erdman,David L Swerdlow,Susan I Gerber

doi:10.3201/eid2006.140322

Abstract

Unraveling the mysteries of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

Highlights

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) is a novel CoV known to cause severe acute respiratory illness in humans; ≈40% of confirmed cases have been fatal
Evidence suggests that MERS-CoV is capable of limited human-to-human transmission, which results in outbreaks in family and health care settings [5,6]
Multiple health care–associated clusters have been identified [4], further investigation is needed of the specific risk factors for transmission within health care facilities

Summary

Introduction

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) is a novel CoV known to cause severe acute respiratory illness in humans; ≈40% of confirmed cases have been fatal. Evidence suggests that MERS-CoV is capable of limited human-to-human transmission, which results in outbreaks in family and health care settings [5,6]. The 182 reported cases include multiple distinct spatiotemporal clusters and 32 identified infections in health care workers [3].

Results

Conclusion