A risk assessment of MERS-CoV compared to SARS-CoV.

Abstract

This century two novel coronaviruses appeared within a decade, causing both severe respiratory disease in humans. The severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARS-CoV), which originated in China in November 2002, was the first coronavirus to cause a pandemic in humans through zoonotic transmission with a 10% case fatality rate, causing approximately 8000 victims worldwide. Even though SARS-CoV transmission was contained within a year, fear remained that other coronaviruses in zoonotic reservoirs might also cross the barrier to humans and evolve human to human transmission like SARS-CoV did. This fear became reality in September 2012, when the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was discovered in Saudi Arabia, causing severe lower respiratory symptoms in humans with an estimated case fatality rate of 40%. Because of the phylogenetic relatedness of both viruses and similarities in clinical symptoms and pathology, a risk assessment of MERS-CoV compared to SARS-CoV is made, based on the knowledge available for both viruses thus far. This way, a better preparedness for new outbreaks of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV can be established and the risk of a new pandemic with the newly discovered MERS-CoV can be assessed.