title: Family cluster of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infections.
abstract: A human coronavirus, called the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), was first identified in September 2012 in samples obtained from a Saudi Arabian businessman who died from acute respiratory failure. Since then, 49 cases of infections caused by MERS-CoV (previously called a novel coronavirus) with 26 deaths have been reported to date. In this report, we describe a family case cluster of MERS-CoV infection, including the clinical presentation, treatment outcomes, and household relationships of three young men who became ill with MERS-CoV infection after the hospitalization of an elderly male relative, who died of the disease. Twenty-four other family members living in the same household and 124 attending staff members at the hospitals did not become ill. MERS-CoV infection may cause a spectrum of clinical illness. Although an animal reservoir is suspected, none has been discovered. Meanwhile, global concern rests on the ability of MERS-CoV to cause major illness in close contacts of patients.
authors.affiliation: Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine, Ministry of Health, and Al-Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. zmemish@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ziad A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Memish
authors.forename: Alimuddin I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Zumla
authors.forename: Rafat F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Al-Hakeem
authors.forename: Abdullah A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Al-Rabeeah
authors.forename: Gwen M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Stephens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000821:virology*; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000821:virology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000821:virology*; D011859:Radiography; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012529:Saudi Arabia