Middle East respiratory syndrome: outbreak response priorities, treatment strategies, and clinical management approaches

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic coronavirus transferred to humans from infected dromedary camels. The origins of MERS-CoV are unknown, but based on the analysis of different virus genomes, it is thought to have originated in bats and then been transmitted to camels in the distant past. The chapter briefly covers the major MERS-CoV outbreaks, mode of transmission, route of infection in humans, virus structure, and life cycle, with a particular emphasis on the molecular mechanism of pathogenesis, diagnostics, vaccines, treatment, and control strategies.