title: From SARS to MERS: evidence and speculation.
abstract: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel zoonotic pathogen. In 2012, the infectious outbreak caused by MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia has spread to more than 1600 patients in 26 countries, resulting in over 600 deaths.Without a travel history, few clinical and radiological features can reliably differentiate MERS from SARS. But in real world, comparing with SARS, MERS presents more vaguely defined epidemiology, more severe symptoms, and higher case fatality rate. In this review, we summarize the recent findings in the field of MERS-CoV, especially its molecular virology, interspecies mechanisms, clinical features, antiviral therapies, and the further investigation into this disease. As a newly emerging virus, many questions are not fully answered, including the exact mode of transmission chain, geographical distribution, and animal origins. Furthermore, a new protocol needs to be launched to rapidly evaluate the effects of unproven antiviral drugs and vaccine to fasten the clinical application of new drugs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
authors.forename: Hainv
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
authors.forename: Hangping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
authors.forename: Shigui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China. ljli@zju.edu.cn.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, 310003, China. ljli@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lanjuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D065207:Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents
keywords: animal origin; cross-species transmission; middle east respiratory syndrome; monoclonal antibody