Articles: coronavirus.
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There are six human pathogenic coronaviruses (CoV), which mainly cause infections of the respiratory system. In everyday clinical practice, it is helpful to know the relevance and characteristics of these pathogens. ⋯ All six human CoVs can be diagnosed using RT-PCR on respiratory specimens but this is rarely necessary for the four endemic strains. In current clinical practice SARS-CoV has no importance as it has not been detected in humans for 15 years; however, a possible MERS-CoV infection should be taken into account in patients with typical symptoms and travel history to endemic regions. In this case, rapid diagnostic and general hygiene practices are important to prevent further transmission.
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Theor Biol Med Model · Oct 2019
Evaluating the potential impact of targeted vaccination strategies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreaks in the healthcare setting.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are two coronaviruses with demonstrated potential to generate significant nosocomial outbreaks. In particular, MERS continues to pose a significant threat in the Middle East since 2012. Currently, no licensed vaccine or drug treatment is available to treat patients infected with either coronavirus. However, there are some MERS vaccines in the preclinical stage of development. We sought to evaluate the potential impact of targeted vaccination strategies for mitigating SARS and MERS outbreaks in healthcare settings using simple mathematical models and detailed historic transmission trees describing the progression of past nosocomial outbreaks of SARS and MERS. ⋯ Our modeling results informed by historic outbreak data for SARS and MERS suggest that vaccination strategies targeting patients could be an effective measure to mitigate and prevent outbreaks in the healthcare setting.
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Coronaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses that are distributed worldwide. They include transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and the human coronaviruses severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), many of which seriously endanger human health and well-being. Only alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses harbor nonstructural protein 1 (nsp1), which performs multiple functions in inhibiting antiviral host responses. ⋯ Solving the crystal structure of full-length TGEV at 1.85-Å resolution and conducting several biochemical analyses, we observed that a specific motif (amino acids 91-95) of alphacoronavirus nsp1 is a conserved region that inhibits host protein synthesis. Using a reverse-genetics system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology to construct a recombinant TGEV in which this specific nsp1 motif was altered, we found that this mutation does not affect virus replication in cell culture but significantly reduces TGEV pathogenicity in pigs. Taken together, our findings suggest that alphacoronavirus nsp1 is an essential virulence determinant, providing a potential paradigm for the development of a new attenuated vaccine based on modified nsp1.
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Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Jul 2019
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyNoninvasive ventilation in critically ill patients with the Middle East respiratory syndrome.
Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been used in patients with the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, but the effectiveness of this approach has not been studied. ⋯ In patients with MERS and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, NIV failure was very high. The use of NIV was not associated with improved outcomes.
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Infect. Dis. Clin. North Am. · Jun 2019
ReviewRespiratory Virus Infections of the Stem Cell Transplant Recipient and the Hematologic Malignancy Patient.
Respiratory virus infections in hematologic stem cell transplant recipients and patients with hematologic malignancies are increasingly recognized as a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. The often overlapping clinical presentation makes molecular diagnostic strategies imperative for rapid diagnosis and to inform understanding of the changing epidemiology of each of the respiratory viruses. Most respiratory virus infections are managed with supportive therapy, although there is effective antiviral therapy for influenza. The primary focus should remain on primary prevention infection control procedures and isolation precautions, avoidance of ill contacts, and vaccination for influenza.