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Review

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A Review

Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS), American University of Beirut (AUB), Riad El Solh 1107-2020, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
GERMS 2019, 9(1), 35-42; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2019.1155
Submission received: 6 November 2018 / Revised: 8 January 2019 / Accepted: 26 January 2019 / Published: 1 March 2019

Abstract

As a novel coronavirus first reported by Saudi Arabia in 2012, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is responsible for an acute human respiratory syndrome. The virus, of 2C beta-CoV lineage, expresses the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) receptor and is densely endemic in dromedary camels of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. MERS-CoV is zoonotic but human-to-human transmission is also possible. Surveillance and phylogenetic researches indicate MERS-CoV to be closely associated with bats’ coronaviruses, suggesting bats as reservoirs, although unconfirmed. With no vaccine currently available for MERS-CoV nor approved prophylactics, its global spread to over 25 countries with high fatalities highlights its role as ongoing public health threat. An articulated action plan ought to be taken, preferably from a One Health perspective, for appropriately advanced countermeasures against MERS-CoV.
Keywords: MERS-CoV; Lebanon; epidemiology; One Health MERS-CoV; Lebanon; epidemiology; One Health

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ramadan, N.; Shaib, H. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A Review. GERMS 2019, 9, 35-42. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2019.1155

AMA Style

Ramadan N, Shaib H. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A Review. GERMS. 2019; 9(1):35-42. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2019.1155

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ramadan, Nour, and Houssam Shaib. 2019. "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A Review" GERMS 9, no. 1: 35-42. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2019.1155

APA Style

Ramadan, N., & Shaib, H. (2019). Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV): A Review. GERMS, 9(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2019.1155

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