HKU5-CoV il nuovo coronavirus trasmissibile. Un team cinese scopre un nuovo coronavirus trasmissibile all'uomo. Studio condotto sui pipistrelli da una famosa virologa di Wuhan. Un team cinese ha scoperto un nuovo coronavirus dei pipistrelli che comporta il rischio di trasmissione da animale a uomo perché utilizza lo stesso recettore umano del virus che causa il Covid-19.
Lo studio, riporta il South China...

#coronavirus #Covid19 #HKU5CoV #merbecovirus #pipistrelli

https://scienzamagia.eu/sociale-collettivita/hku5-cov-il-nuovo-coronavirus-trasmissibile/

Een klein berichtje in de krant over een #virus #corona #merbeco #Merbecovirus
#wuhan [paywall]

Onderzoekers in Wuhan melden opnieuw coronavirus dat mens kan bedreigen https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/02/24/onderzoekers-in-wuhan-melden-opnieuw-coronavirus-dat-mens-kan-bedreigen-a4884253

Ongoing #Evolution of #MERS-CoV, #Saudi Arabia, 2023–2024

Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/1/24-1030_article

Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) circulates in dromedary camels in the Arabian Peninsula and occasionally causes spillover infections in humans. MERS-CoV diversity is poorly understood because of the lack of sampling during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected 558 swab samples from dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia during November 2023–January 2024. We found 39% were positive for MERS-CoV RNA by reverse transcription PCR. We sequenced 42 MERS-CoVs and 7 human 229E-related coronaviruses from camel swab samples by using high-throughput sequencing. Sequences from both viruses formed monophyletic clades apical to recently available genomes. MERS-CoV sequences were most similar to B5 lineage sequences and harbored unique genetic features, including novel amino acid polymorphisms in the spike protein. Further characterization will be required to understand their effects. MERS-CoV spillover into humans poses considerable public health concerns. Our findings indicate surveillance and phenotypic studies are needed to identify and monitor MERS-CoV pandemic potential.

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#abstract #betacoronavirus #camels #coronavirus #covid #COVID19 #health #merbecovirus #mersCov #research #sarsCov2 #SAUDIARABIA #vaccine

The #time between #symptom onset and various clinical #outcomes: a statistical #analysis of #MERS-CoV #patients in #Saudi Arabia

Source: Royal Society Open Science, https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240094

Abstract
In this study, we investigate the impact of demographic characteristics on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in Saudi Arabia, specifically focusing on the time intervals between symptom onset and key events such as hospitalization, case confirmation, reporting and death. We estimate these intervals using data from 2196 cases occurring between June 2012 and January 2020, partitioning the data into four age groups (0–24 years, 25–49 years, 50–74 years and 75–100 years). The duration from symptom onset to hospitalization varies between age cohorts, ranging from 4.03 to 4.75 days, with the 75–100 age group experiencing the longest delay. The interval from symptom onset to case confirmation spans 5.83–8.24 days, and again, the 75–100 age group faces the lengthiest delay. The interval from symptom onset and case reporting ranges from 7.0 to 9.8 days, with the 75–100 age group experiencing the longest delay. The period from symptom onset to death varies across age groups (12.3–16.1 days), with elevated mortality rates during outbreaks. Importantly, we observe age-based differences in the risk of hospitalization and other measures of infection severity, including the probability of death conditional on hospitalization. Careful quantification of epidemiological characteristics, including inference of key epidemiological periods and assessments of differences between cases of different ages, plays a crucial role in understanding the progression of MERS-CoV outbreaks and formulating effective public health strategies to mitigate their impact.

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#abstract #betacoronavirus #coronavirus #health #human #merbecovirus #mersCov #news #research #SAUDIARABIA #vaccine

Source: New Microbes New Infections, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2052297524003007?via%3Dihub

{Excerpt}

Dear Editor:
On 5 September 2024, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia confirmed the first human case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Pakistan [1]. This phenomene highlights an urgent epidemiological concern regarding the surveillance and response mechanisms in public health. Notably, since 2019, there have been no MERS-CoV cases reported outside the Middle East. The patient, a male aged between 50 and 55 years from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region, presented with symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, and palpitations on 28 August. He was admitted as a cardiac patient to a local hospital on 31 August and transferred to a medical complex on 1 September, where he was discharged against medical advice on the same day. A nasopharyngeal swab taken on 1 September returned a positive MERS-CoV result on 4 September through real-time polymerase chain reaction. The patient traveled to Pakistan on 2 September, prior to receiving his results. The patient, who was not a healthcare worker, had several comorbidities. Field investigations did not reveal any camel exposure. Monitoring of one household member, 23 healthcare workers, and two patients with contact in Saudi Arabia revealed no secondary cases. One individual traveled to South Asia on 4 September, but no further cases were identified through contact tracing. Following notification from Saudi Arabia’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point on 5 September, Pakistani health authorities located the patient and placed him in isolation. Forty-one nasopharyngeal samples, including repeated samples from the patient and close contacts, were tested at Pakistan’s National Institute of Health. The patient tested positive, although with a low viral load, while all close contacts tested negative. No secondary cases were identified after 14 days of observation. This case underscores the growing threat posed by zoonotic diseases, particularly in regions where human-animal interactions are frequent. It also emphasizes the risk of MERS-CoV outbreaks in South Asia, extending beyond the traditional Middle East region.

(…)

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https://etidioh.wordpress.com/2024/11/05/pakistans-first-mers-cov-case-a-wake-up-call-for-global-health-authorities/

#betacoronavirus #coronavirus #health #merbecovirus #mersCov #pakistan #research #saudiArabia #SAUDIARABIA

Source: Journal of Virology, https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.01305-24

ABSTRACT
Human-to-human transmission of the highly pathogenic Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is currently inefficient. However, there is concern that the virus might mutate and thereby increase its transmissibility and thus pandemic potential. The pandemic SARS-CoV-2 depends on a highly cleavable furin motif at the S1/S2 site of the viral spike (S) protein for efficient lung cell entry, transmission, and pathogenicity. Here, by employing pseudotyped particles, we investigated whether augmented cleavage at the S1/S2 site also increases MERS-CoV entry into Calu-3 human lung cells. We report that polymorphism T746K at the S1/S2 cleavage site or optimization of the furin motif increases S protein cleavage but not lung cell entry. These findings suggest that, unlike what has been reported for SARS-CoV-2, a highly cleavable S1/S2 site might not augment MERS-CoV infectivity for human lung cells.

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https://etidioh.wordpress.com/2024/10/29/acquisition-of-a-multibasic-cleavage-site-does-not-increase-mers-cov-entry-into-calu-3-human-lung-cells/

#abstract #betacoronavirus #merbecovirus #mersCov #research #sarbecovirus #sarsCov2