ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic virus that causes acute respiratory disease after transmission via close contact with camels . In contrast to the incidence of MERS-CoV human infections in the Middle East , MERS-CoV infections in the Horn of Africa have been rarely reported despite the high number of camels and common camel–human interactions in the area. Whether passive cross-sectional sampling misses active human cases is a significant gap in our understanding of MERS-CoV epidemiology and its impact in the Horn of Africa. To address this gap, we conducted a prospective cross-sectional study at Laisamis Catholic Hospital in northern Kenya’s camel pastoralist community . A total of 942 patients with acute respiratory symptoms were enrolled over 18 months (August 2022–February 2024); 54% of these individuals reported frequent contact with camels and consumption of camel products. Testing via reverse transcriptase – polymerase chain reaction ...

Abstract Introduction Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a zoonotic viral respiratory disease caused by the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), associated with severe clinical outcomes and high mortality. Objectives Our study examined the kinetics of anti-MERS-CoV IgM and IgG antibodies during the acute and convalescent phases of infection, focusing on their correlations with clinical variables such as age and viral load. Methods Serum samples were collected from PCR-confirmed MERS-CoV patients (n = 23) during both phases and compared to healthy controls (n = 23) using validated ELISA-based assays. Results IgM levels peaked in the acute phase and declined significantly in the convalescent phase , while IgG levels were sustained and markedly higher during recovery . Correlation analyses revealed positive relationships between antibody levels and patient age (acute IgM: r = 0.56, p < 0.01; convalescent IgG: r = 0.59, p < 0.01) and viral loads (acute IgM...

{Excerpt} The World Health Organization (WHO) had recently announced on May 12 , 2025, the reporting of nine new laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia [1]. This announcement is a sobering reminder that while the global community remains focused on emergent threats like avian influenza or post-pandemic resilience, endemic zoonotic diseases like MERS-CoV may continue to circulate, evolve, and exploit gaps in infection prevention. (...) Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health,  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44197-025-00426-6 ____

  Summary -- What is already known about this topic? - Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic virus transmitted sporadically from camels to humans , with limited subsequent human-to-human transmission . Most reported human cases of MERS have occurred in or near the Arabian Peninsula . Standardized clinical and epidemiologic criteria are used to determine who in the United States should be tested for MERS-CoV. In the United States , the last identified and confirmed MERS cases occurred in 2014 . -- What is added by this report? - Global reported MERS cases have declined substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers of travelers entering the United States from in or near the Arabian Peninsula declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now have returned to prepandemic levels. U.S. MERS-CoV testing declined during 2017–2023 and remains low relative to prepandemic years. Clinical and epidemiologic criteria to guide U.S. testing were updated in ...

Situation at a glance Between 1 March and 21 April 2025, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported nine cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection . Two of these cases died . Among the nine cases, a cluster of seven cases were identified in Riyadh , including six health and care workers who acquired the infection from caring for a single infected patient . The cluster was identified through contact tracing and subsequent testing of all contacts, with four of the six health and care workers being asymptomatic and two showing only mild , nonspecific signs. The notification of these cases does not change the overall risk assessment , which remains moderate at both the global and regional levels. These cases show that the virus continues to pose a threat in countries where it is circulating in dromedary camels and spilling over into the human population . WHO recommends implementation of targeted infection prevention and cont...

Abstract Despite accumulating evidence that bat-derived coronaviruses often require intermediate hosts to facilitate transmission to humans1, the potential role of fur animals in zoonotic coronavirus spillovers has largely been overlooked2. Here we report the isolation and characterization of a novel mink respiratory coronavirus (MRCoV) from farmed minks with pneumonia . Notably, MRCoV uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor and can infect mink, bat, monkey, and human cells . Cryo-electron microscopy analysis revealed that the MRCoV receptor-binding domain (RBD) binds to the same interface on ACE2 receptors as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RBD , despite exhibiting notable structural differences. We identify the key determinants on ACE2 and MRCoV RBD that confer efficient binding. HKU5-33S, a bat coronavirus closely related to MRCoV , utilizes ACE2 of bat Pipistrellus abramus and requires only two amino acid substitutions to adapt to mink...

Abstract Three studies recently published in Cell reveal distinct ACE2 binding interactions across the merbecoviruses , uncovering how HKU5 can use ACE2s of many non-human hosts and identifying a novel HKU5 lineage capable of using human ACE2. These findings highlight merbecovirus receptor plasticity and caution for preparedness against potential merbecovirus threats. Source: Cell, Host & Microbe,  https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/abstract/S1931-3128(25)00096-4?rss=yes ____

Highlights The current review highlights the following major findings from the literature. 1.The genomic control of pathogenic properties of murine β-coronavirus. 2.Plausible mechanism of virus-induced neuroinflammatory demyelination and axonal loss. 3.Spike protein as a major determinant of MHV-induced neuropathogenesis. 4.The minimal essential motif in fusion peptide responsible for neuropathogenesis. 5.mCoV research sheds light on hCoV neuropathogenesis and helps design anti-virals. Abstract Coronaviruses have emerged as a significant challenge to human health . While earlier outbreaks of coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV posed serious threats , the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has heightened interest in coronavirus research due to its pulmonary pathology , in addition to its neurological manifestations . In addition, the patients who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection show long-term symptoms such as anosmia, brain fog and long COVID. A major hurdle in studying these v...

Situation at a glance This is the bi-annual update on the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).  From 6 September 2024 to 28 February 2025, four laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection , including two deaths, were reported to WHO by the Ministry of Health of the KSA.  One of the four cases was a secondary case exposed to the virus in a healthcare facility (nosocomial transmission).  Close contacts of the four cases were followed up by the Ministry of Health.  No additional secondary cases have been detected.  The notification of these four cases does not alter the overall risk assessment, which remains moderate at both the global and regional levels.  The reporting of these cases shows that the virus continues to pose a threat in countries where it is circulating in dromedary camels, particularly those in the Middle East. Description...

Significance Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a highly pathogenic coronavirus that continues to cause periodic outbreaks in humans with a case-fatality rate of approximately 35%. MERS-CoV generally transmits poorly, but superspreading events are well documented. Efficient human-to-human transmission of respiratory viruses generally correlates with a tropism for the upper respiratory tract, but this tropism for MERS-CoV remains poorly understood. Characterizing the MERS-CoV tropism in the human upper respiratory tract is of critical importance to understand its epidemiology and pandemic potential of future MERS-CoV variants and other dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4)-utilizing coronaviruses present in animal reservoirs. Abstract Transmissibility of respiratory viruses is a complex viral trait that is intricately linked to tropism. Several highly transmissible viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and Influenza viruses, specifically targ...

Highlights •   A distinct HKU5 coronavirus lineage (HKU5-CoV-2) is discovered in bats •  Bat HKU5-CoV-2 uses human ACE2 receptor and ACE2 orthologs from multiple species •   Bat HKU5-CoV-2 RBD engages human ACE2 with a distinct binding mode from other CoVs •  Bat HKU5-CoV-2 was isolated and infect human-ACE2-expressing cells Summary Merbecoviruses comprise four viral species with remarkable genetic diversity: MERS -related coronavirus, Tylonycterisbat coronavirus HKU4, Pipistrellusbat coronavirus HKU5, and Hedgehog coronavirus 1. However, the potential human spillover risk of animal merbecoviruses remains to be investigated. Here, we reported the discovery of HKU5-CoV lineage 2 (HKU5-CoV-2) in bats that efficiently utilize human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a functional receptor and exhibits a broad host tropism . Cryo-EM analysis of HKU5-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and human ACE2 complex revealed an entirely distinct binding mode compared with o...

Abstract Human outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are more common in Middle Eastern and Asian human populations , associated with clades A and B . In Africa , where clade C is dominant in camels , human cases are minimal. We reviewed 16 studies (n = 6198) published across seven African countries between 2012 and 2024 to assess human MERS-CoV cases. We also analyzed data from four cohort studies conducted in camel-keeping communities between 2018 and 2024 involving camel keepers, camel slaughterhouse workers , and hospital patients with acute respiratory illness (ARI). The analysis showed a pooled MERS-CoV prevalence of 2.4% (IQR: 0.6, 11.4) from 16 publications and 1.14% from 4 cohort studies (n = 2353). Symptomatic cases were rarely reported, with most individuals reporting camel contact, and only 12% had travel history to the Middle East. There was one travel-associated reported death , resulting in a mortality rate of 0.013%. The findings suggest a ...

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an important zoonotic pathogen . The aim of this paper is to report one polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive case of MERS-CoV in a 27-year-old man who was involved in a nationwide longitudinal surveillance study of certain zoonotic diseases in Jordan including MERS-CoV. Whole-blood and nasal swab samples were collected from the man and five camels in the vicinity of his living area. The samples were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to detect MERS-CoV- specific antibodies and MERS-CoV genetic material , respectively. Genomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were also performed to detect similarities with known strains of the virus in the region. In January 2021 , an ongoing surveillance study detected a MERS-CoV-positive nasal swab sample from an asymptomatic male and camels using RT-PCR. Phylogenetically, the MERS-CoV isolated in this case b...

Abstract Sepsis , characterized as life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from dysregulated host responses to infection , remains a significant challenge in clinical practice . Despite advancements in understanding host-bacterial interactions , molecular responses, and therapeutic approaches, the mortality rate associated with sepsis has consistently ranged between 10 and 16%. This elevated mortality highlights critical gaps in our comprehension of sepsis etiology. Traditionally linked to bacterial and fungal pathogens, recent outbreaks of acute viral infections , including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ( MERS-CoV ), influenza virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ), among other regional epidemics, have underscored the role of viral pathogenesis in sepsis, particularly when critically ill patients exhibit classic symptoms indicative of sepsis. However, many cases of viral-induced sepsis are frequently underdiagnosed because standar...