Betacoronavirus cameli | |
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MERS-CoV particles as seen by negative stain electron microscopy. Virions contain characteristic club-like projections emanating from the viral membrane. | |
Virus classification ![]() | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Pisuviricota |
Class: | Pisoniviricetes |
Order: | Nidovirales |
Family: | Coronaviridae |
Genus: | Betacoronavirus |
Subgenus: | Merbecovirus |
Species: | Betacoronavirus cameli
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Synonyms | |
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Betacoronavirus cameli [1] ( also known as Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus abbreviated as MERS-CoV),[2] or EMC/2012 (HCoV-EMC/2012), is the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).[3][4] It is a species of coronavirus which infects humans, bats, and camels.[5] The infecting virus is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus which enters its host cell by binding to the DPP4 receptor.[6] The species is a member of the genus Betacoronavirus and subgenus Merbecovirus.[7][5]
Initially called simply novel coronavirus or nCoV, with the provisional names 2012 novel coronavirus (2012-nCoV) and human coronavirus 2012 (HCoV-12 or hCoV-12), it was first reported in June 2012 after genome sequencing of a virus isolated from sputum samples from a person who fell ill in a 2012 outbreak of a new flu-like respiratory illness. By July 2015, MERS-CoV cases had been reported in over 21 countries, in Europe, North America and Asia as well as the Middle East. MERS-CoV is one of several viruses identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a likely cause of a future epidemic. They list it for urgent research and development.[8][9]
See Figure 3.
See Table 1.