Related Materials

For General Public

• CDC Fact Sheet – Information about MERS [2 pages]
• Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, World Health Organization
• CDC Feature – MERS
• CDC Podcast- Unraveling the Mysteries of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Released May 19, 2014
• CDC Podcast- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. (4:01 mins), (8:58 min) Dr. Aron Hall. March 11, 2014

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For Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories

Resources

• 2013 Coronavirus Emergency Use Authorization (Potential Emergency). FDA, June 5, 2013
• Notice to Health Care Providers: Updated Guidelines for Evaluation of Severe Respiratory Illness Associated with a Novel Coronavirus [3 pages]. HAN, March 8, 2013
• Rapid Risk Assessments: Severe respiratory disease associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, World Health Organization
• Coronaviruses, including SARS and MERS (Red Book, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015)

Selected Scientific Articles

Cases, Clusters, and Outbreaks

• Assiri A, Abedi GR, Almasry M, Bin Saeed A, Gerber SI, Watson JT. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus infection during pregnancy: A report of 5 cases from Saudi Arabia. Clin Infect Dis. 2016 June.
• Hastings DL, Tokars JI, Abdel Aziz IZAM, Alkhaldi KZ, Bensadek AT, Alraddadi BM, et al. Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at Tertiary Care Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 May;22(5). DOI
• Hunter JC, Nguyen D, Aden B, Bander ZA, Dhaheri WA, Elkheir KA. Transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections in Healthcare Settings, Abu Dhabi. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 April;22(4).
• Assiri A, Abedi GR, Bin Saeed AA, Abdalla MA, al-Masry M, Choudhry AJ, et al. Multifacility outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jan;22(1). DOI
• Oboho IK, Tomczyk SM, Al-Asmari AM, Banjar AA, Al-Mugti H, Aloraini MS, et al. 2014 MERS-CoV outbreak in Jeddah – a link to health care facilities. N Engl J Med. 2015 Feb 26;372(9):848-54. PubMed
• Payne DC, Iblan I, Alqasrawi S, Al Nsour M, Rha B, et al. Stillbirth during infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. J Infect Dis. 2014 Feb 7. DOI PubMED
• Khuri-Bulos N, Payne DC, Xiaoyan L, Erdman D, Wang L, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus not detected in children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness in Amman, Jordan, March 2010 to September 2012. Clin Microbiol InfectI. 2013 Dec 9. DOI PubMED
• Memish ZA, Zumla Al, Assiri A. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infections in health care workers. NEJM. 2013 Aug. DOI PubMed
• Guery B, Poissy J, el Mansouf L, Séjourné C, Ettahar N, Lemaire X, et al. Clinical features and viral diagnosis of two cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: a report of nosocomial transmission. The Lancet. 2013 Jun. DOI PubMed
• Assiri, A, McGeer, A, Perl T, Price C, Al Rabeeah A, Cummings D, et al. for the KSA MERS-CoV Investigation Team. Hospital Outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. NEJM. 2013 Jun. DOI PubMed
• The Health Protection Agency (HPA) UK Novel Coronavirus Investigation team. Evidence of person-to-person transmission within a family cluster of novel coronavirus infections, United Kingdom, February 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(11):pii=20427.
• Zaki AM, van Boheemen S, Bestebroer TM, Osterhaus ADME, Fouchier RAM. Isolation of a novel coronavirus from a man with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia. NEJM. 2012 Oct. DOI PubMed
• Bermingham A, Chand MA, Brown CS, Aarons E, Tong C, Langrish C, et al. Severe respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, in a patient transferred to the United Kingdom from the Middle East, September 2012. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(40):pii=20290.
• Pebody RG, Chand MA, Thomas HL, Green HK, Boddington NL, Carvalho C, et al. The United Kingdom public health response to an imported laboratory confirmed case of a novel coronavirus in September 2012. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(40):pii=20292.
• Schneider E, Chommanard C, Rudd J, Whitaker B, Lowe L, Gerber SI. Evaluation of persons under investigation for MERS-CoV infection, United States, January 2013–October 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Jul. doi: 10.3201/eid2107.141888.

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Surveillance and General Epidemiology

• Al Hosani FI, Pringle K, Al Mulla M, Kim L, Pham H, Alami NN, et al. Response to Emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2013-2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jul;22(7):1162-8.
• Arabi YM, Balkhy HH, Hayden FG, Bouchama A, Luke T, Baillie JK, et al. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2017 Feb 9: 376:584-94.
• Assiri AM, Midgley CM, Abedi GR, Bin Saeed A, Almasri MM, Lu X, et al. Epidemiology of a Novel Recombinant MERS-CoV in Humans in Saudi Arabia. J Infect Dis. 2016 Jun 14.
• Alraddadi BM, Watson JT, Almarashi A, Abedi GR, Turkistani A, Sadran M, et al. Risk factors for primary Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus illness in humans, Saudi Arabia, 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jan;22(1). DOI
• Schneider E, Chommanard C, Rudd J, Whitaker B, Lowe L, Gerber SI. Evaluation of persons under investigation for MERS-CoV infection, United States, January 2013–October 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Jul. doi: 10.3201/eid2107.141888.
• Rasmussen SA, Gerber SI, Swerdlow DL. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: update for clinicians. Clin Infect Dis. 2015. doi: 10.1093/cid/civ118.
• Al-Tawfiq JA, Hinedi K, Ghandour J, Khairalla H, Musleh S, Ujayli A, et al. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus: a case-control study of hospitalized patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2014. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu226.
• Nishiura H, Mizumoto K, Ejima K, Zhong Y, Cowling BJ, Omori R. Incubation period as part of the case definition of severe respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(42):pii=20296.
• Danielsson N, on behalf of the ECDC Internal Response Team, Catchpole M. Novel coronavirus associated with severe respiratory disease: case definition and public health measures. Euro Surveill. 2012:17(39):pii=20282.
• Khuri-Bulos N, Payne DC, Xiaoyan L, Erdman D, Wang L, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus not detected in children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness in Amman, Jordan, March 2010 to September 2012. CMI. 2013 Dec 9. DOI PubMED
• Assiri A, A Al-Tawfiq J, A Al-Rabeeah A, A Al-Rabiah F, Al-Hajjar S, Al-Barrak A, et al. Epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics of 47 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease from Saudi Arabia: a descriptive study. The Lancet. 2013 July. DOI PubMed

Laboratory Studies

• Trivedi S, Miao C, Al-Abdallat MM, Haddadin A, Alqasrawi S, Iblan I, et al. Inclusion of MERS-spike protein ELISA in algorithm to determine serologic evidence of MERS-CoV infection. J Med Virol. 2018;90:367–71. PubMed
• Aburizaiza AS, Mattes FM, Azhar EI, Hassan AM, Memish ZA, Muth D, et al. Investigation of anti-middle East respiratory syndrome antibodies in blood donors and slaughterhouse workers in jeddah and makkah, saudi arabia, fall 2012. J infect Dis. 2014 Jan;209(2):243-6. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit589. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
• Corman VM, Müller MA, Costabel U, Timm J, Binger T, Meyer B, et al. Assays for laboratory confirmation of novel human coronavirus (hCoV-EMC) infections. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(49):pii=20334
• Palm D, Pereyaslov D, Vaz J, Broberg E, Zeller H, Gross D, et al. Laboratory capability for molecular detection and confirmation of novel coronavirus in Europe, November 2012. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(49):pii=20335.
• Corman VM, Eckerle I, Bleicker T, Zaki A, Landt O, Eschbach-Bludau M, et al. Detection of a novel human coronavirus by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Euro Surveill. 2012; 17(39):pii=20285.
• Raj VS, Mou H, Smits SL, Dekkers DHW, Müller MA, Dijkman R, et al. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is a functional receptor for the emerging human coronavirus-EMC. Nature. 2013;495:251-4. DOI PubMed
• Kindler E, Jónsdóttir HR, Muth D, Hamming OJ, Hartmann R, Rodriguez R, Geffers R, Fouchier RA, Drosten C, Müller MA, Dijkman R, Thiel V. Efficient replication of the novel human betacoronavirus EMC on primary human epithelium highlights its zoonotic potential. MBio. 2013;4(1):e00611-12. DOI PubMed
• van Boheemen S, de Graaf M, Lauber C, Bestebroer TM, Raj VS, Zaki AM, Osterhaus ADME, Haagmans BL, Gorbalenya AE, Snijder EJ, Fouchier RAM. Genomic characterization of a newly discovered coronavirus associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome in humans. mBio. 2012;3(6):e00473-12. DOI PubMed

Animal Studies

• Azhar EI, El-Kafrawy SA, Farraj SA, Hassan AM, Al-Saeed MS, Hashem AM, et al. Evidence for camel-to-human transmission of MERS coronavirus. NEJM. 2014 Jun.
• Chu DKW, Poon LLM, Gomaa MM, Shehata MM, Perera RAPM, Zeid DA, et al. MERS coronaviruses in dromedary camels, Egypt. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Jun;20(6).
• Memish ZA, Cotton M, Meyer B, Watson SJ, Alsahafi AJ, Al Rabeeah AA, et al. Human infection with MERS coronavirus after exposure to infected camels, Saudi Arabia, 2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Jun;20(6).
• Meyer B, Müller MA, Corman VM, Reusken CBEM, Ritz D, Godeke G-D, et al. Antibodies against MERS coronavirus in dromedary camels, United Arab Emirates, 2003 and 2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Apr;20(4).
• Alagaili AN, Briese T, Mishra N, Kapoor V, Sameroff SC, de Wit E, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia. mBio 2014 Feb;5(2).
• Yao Y, Bao L, Deng W, Xu L, Li F, Lv Q, et al. An animal model of MERS produced by infection of rhesus macaques with MERS coronavirus. J Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;209(2):236-42. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit590. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
• Haagmans BL, Al Dhahiry SHS, Reusken CBEM, Raj VS, Galiano M, Myers R, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in dromedary camels: an outbreak investigation. Lancet Infect Dis. 2013 Dec. DOI
• Reusken CB, Ababneh M, Raj VS, Meyer B, Eljarah A, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) serology in major livestock species in an affected region in Jordan, June to September 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(50):pii=20662
• Hemida MG, Perera RA, Wang P, Alhammadi MA, Siu LY, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus seroprevalence in domestic livestock in Saudi Arabia, 2010 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(50):pii=20659
• Memish ZA, Mishra N, Olival KJ, Fagbo SF, Kapoor V, Epstein JH, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in bats, Saudi Arabia. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Nov;19(11)
• Falzarano D, de Wit E, Rasmussen AL, Feldmann F, Okumura A, Scott DP, et al. Treatment with interferon-α2b and ribavirin improves outcome in MERS-CoV-infected rhesus macaques. Nat Med. 2013 Sep 8. DOI PubMed
• Reusken C, Haagmans B, Müller M, Gutierrez C, Godeke G, Meyer B, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus neutralising serum antibodies in dromedary camels: a comparative serological study. The Lancet. 2013 Aug. DOI PubMed

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CDC MMWR Articles

• CDC. Update on the epidemiology of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, and guidance for the public, clinicians, and public health authorities—January 2015. MMWR. 2015;64(03);61–2.
• CDC. First confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in the United States, updated information on the epidemiology of MERS-CoV infection, and guidance for the public, clinicians, and public health authorities — May 2014. MMWR. 2014;63(19);431-6.
• CDC. Updated information on the epidemiology of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection and guidance for the public, clinicians, and public health authorities, 2012-2013. MMWR. 2013;62(38);793-6.
• CDC. Update: Recommendations for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MMWR. 2013;62(27);557.
• CDC. Update: Severe Respiratory illness associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)—worldwide, 2012-2013. MMWR. 2013;62(Early Release);1-4.
• CDC. Update: Severe respiratory illness associated with a novel coronavirus – worldwide, 2012-2013. MMWR. 2013;62;194-5.
• CDC. Severe respiratory illness associated with a novel coronavirus – Saudi Arabia and Qatar, 2012.MMWR. 2012;61;820.

Reviews, Commentary, and Editorials

• Gautret P, Charrel R, Benkouiten S, Belhouchat K, Nougairede A, Drali T, et al. Lack of MERS coronavirus but prevalence of influenza virus in French pilgrims after 2013 Hajj. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Mar;20(4).
• Watson JT, Hall AJ, Erdman DD, Swerdlow DL, Gerber SI. Unraveling the mysteries of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 Jun;20(6).
• Hui DS, Alimuddin Z. Advancing Priority Research on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. J Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;209(2):173-6. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit591. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
• Anderson LJ, Baric RS. Emerging human coronaviruses-disease potential and preparedness (editorial). NEJM. 2012 Oct. DOI PubMed
• Penttinen PM, Kaasik-Aaslav K, Friaux A, Donachie A, Sudre B, Amato-Gauci AJ, et al. Taking stock of the first 133 MERS coronavirus cases globally – Is the epidemic changing? Euro Surveill. 2013;18(39):pii=20596

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SARS

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), CDC
• National Surveillance for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV)[18 pages]
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), WHO
• WHO guidelines/recommendations/descriptions, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), WHO
• Multi-centre Collaborative Network: Laboratories testing for SARS, WHO

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