May 29, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1303729
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.
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