Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS): A More Deadly Human Coronavirus Emerges

Course overview

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a lethal pulmonary disease caused by a newly emerged coronavirus. The virus is transmitted to humans from dromedary (one-humped) camels and is not fully understood. It is believed to have originated in bats before it was transmitted to camels. Since human contact with bats is limited, evidence (serological and molecular) suggests that camels are the likely animal reservoir for MERS and the primary zoonotic source for human infection. MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. As of February 2016, there have been 1,638 lab confirmed cases of MERS with 587 deaths. The virus has been found in 26 countries.