preprints.org > life sciences > virology > doi: 10.20944/preprints201711.0198.v2

Preprint Article Version 2 This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 30 November 2017 / Approved: 30 November 2017 / Online: 30 November 2017 (09:17:36 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 30 January 2018 / Approved: 30 January 2018 / Online: 30 January 2018 (09:52:03 CET)

Human coronaviruses cause both upper and lower respiratory tract infections in humans. In 2012 a sixth human coronavirus (hCoV) was isolated from a patient presenting with severe respiratory illness. The 60-year-old man died as a result of renal and respiratory failure after admission to a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The aetiological agent was eventually identified as a coronavirus and designated Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS-CoV has now been reported in more than 27 countries across the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and Asia. As of July 2017, 2040 MERS-CoV laboratory confirmed cases, resulting in 712 deaths, were reported globally, with a majority of these cases from the Arabian Peninsula. This review summarises the current understanding of MERS-CoV, with special reference to the (i) genome structure, (ii) clinical features, (iii) diagnosis of infection and (iv) treatment and vaccine development.

human coronavirus; MERS-CoV; clinical features; upper respiratory tract infections; lower respiratory tract infections; respiratory viruses