title: Identification of a novel coronavirus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has recently been identified as a new clinical entity. SARS is thought to be caused by an unknown infectious agent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical specimens from patients with SARS were searched for unknown viruses with the use of cell cultures and molecular techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A novel coronavirus was identified in patients with SARS. The virus was isolated in cell culture, and a sequence 300 nucleotides in length was obtained by a polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR)-based random-amplification procedure. Genetic characterization indicated that the virus is only distantly related to known coronaviruses (identical in 50 to 60 percent of the nucleotide sequence). On the basis of the obtained sequence, conventional and real-time PCR assays for specific and sensitive detection of the novel virus were established. Virus was detected in a variety of clinical specimens from patients with SARS but not in controls. High concentrations of viral RNA of up to 100 million molecules per milliliter were found in sputum. Viral RNA was also detected at extremely low concentrations in plasma during the acute phase and in feces during the late convalescent phase. Infected patients showed seroconversion on the Vero cells in which the virus was isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel coronavirus might have a role in causing SARS.
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, National Reference Center for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Hamburg, Germany. drosten@bni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drosten
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Günther
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Preiser
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Werf
authors.forename: Hans-Reinhard
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Brodt
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rabenau
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panning
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kolesnikova
authors.forename: Ron A M
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fouchier
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Ana-Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Burguière
authors.forename: Jindrich
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cinatl
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eickmann
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Escriou
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grywna
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kramme
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Manuguerra
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rickerts
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stürmer
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vieth
authors.forename: Hans-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Klenk
authors.forename: Albert D M E
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Osterhaus
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Hans Wilhelm
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Doerr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D013183:Sputum / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral