title: Spike gene deletion quasispecies in serum of patient with acute MERS-CoV infection.
abstract: The spike glycoprotein of the Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) facilitates receptor binding and cell entry. During investigation of a multi-facility outbreak of MERS-CoV in Taif, Saudi Arabia, we identified a mixed population of wild-type and variant sequences with a large 530 nucleotide deletion in the spike gene from the serum of one patient. The out of frame deletion predicted loss of most of the S2 subunit of the spike protein leaving the S1 subunit with an intact receptor binding domain. This finding documents human infection with a novel genetic variant of MERS-CoV present as a quasispecies. J. Med. Virol. 89:542-545, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Lori A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frace
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Glen R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Abedi
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Elnile
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Taleb
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banassir
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Malak
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Masri
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Assiri
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Dean D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Erdman
mesh_terms: D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D065207:Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology*; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
keywords: MERS-CoV; coronavirus; genome; spike gene