Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection pathophysiology
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection Microchapters |
Differentiating Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection from other Diseases |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]
Overview
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness. It is caused by an emerging coronavirus, specifically a betacoronavirus called MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus), first discovered in 2012. Potential animal reservoirs and mechanism(s) of transmission of MERS-CoV to humans remain unclear. A zoonotic origin for MERS-CoV was initially suggested due to the high genetic similarity to bat coronaviruses , and some recent reports have described serologic data from camels and the identification of related viruses in bats. However, more epidemiologic data linking cases to infected animals are needed to determine if a particular species is a host, a source of human infection, or both.