Risk factors for human-to-human transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are largely unknown. After MERS-CoV infections occurred in an extended family in Saudi Arabia in 2014, relatives were tested by using real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) and serologic methods. Among 79 relatives, 19 (24%) were MERS-CoV positive; 11 were hospitalized, and 2 died. Ele...

The stability of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was determined at 20°C--40% relative humidity (RH); 30°C--30% RH and 30°C--80% RH. MERS-CoV was more stable at low temperature/low humidity conditions and could still be recovered after 48 hours. During aerosolisation of MERS-CoV, no decrease in stability was observed at 20°C--40% RH. These data suggest the potential of ME...

Introduction MERS-CoV was discovered in 2012 in the Middle East and human cases around the world have been carefully reported by the WHO. MERS-CoV virus is a novel betacoronavirus closely related to a virus (NeoCov) hosted by a bat, Neoromicia capensis. MERS-CoV infects humans and camels. In 2015, MERS-CoV spread from the Middle East to South Korea which sustained an outbreak. Thus, it is clear...

In March 2003, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was discovered in association with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The sequence of the complete genome of SARS-CoV was determined, and the initial characterization of the viral genome is presented in this report. The genome of SARS-CoV is 29,727 nucleotides in length and has 11 open reading frames, and its genome organization is s...

It has been reported that lactoferrin (LF) participates in the host immune response against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) invasion by enhancing NK cell activity and stimulating neutrophil aggregation and adhesion. We further investigated the role of LF in the entry of SARS pseudovirus into HEK293E/ACE2-Myc cells. Our results reveal that LF inhibits SARS pseudovirus in...

The pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) remains unclear. Macrophages are key sentinel cells in the respiratory system, and it is therefore relevant to compare the responses of human macrophages to infections with the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and other respiratory viruses. Primary human monocyte-derived macrophages were infected with SARS-CoV in vitro. Virus replication w...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus termed SARS-CoV. We and others have previously shown that the replication of SARS-CoV can be suppressed by exogenously added interferon (IFN), a cytokine which is normally synthesized by cells as a reaction to virus infection. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV escapes IFN-mediated growth inhibition by preventing the indu...

The recent emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV. It spread rapidly to many countries and developing a SARS vaccine is now urgently required. In order to study the immunogenicity of UV-inactivated purified SARS-CoV virion as a vaccine candidate, we subcutaneously immunized mice with UV-inactivated SARS-CoV with or without an adjuvant. ...

Convergent evolution dictates that diverse groups of viruses will target both similar and distinct host pathways to manipulate the immune response and improve infection. In this study, we sought to leverage this uneven viral antagonism to identify critical host factors that govern disease outcome. Utilizing a systems-based approach, we examined differential regulation of IFN-γ-dependent genes f...