Title |
Family Cluster of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections
|
---|---|
Published in |
New England Journal of Medicine, May 2013
|
DOI | 10.1056/nejmoa1303729 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Ziad A Memish, Alimuddin I Zumla, Rafat F Al-Hakeem, Abdullah A Al-Rabeeah, Gwen M Stephens |
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. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Saudi Arabia | 49 | 22% |
United States | 29 | 13% |
United Kingdom | 9 | 4% |
Bahrain | 2 | <1% |
Oman | 2 | <1% |
Switzerland | 2 | <1% |
Qatar | 2 | <1% |
Netherlands | 2 | <1% |
Argentina | 2 | <1% |
Other | 13 | 6% |
Unknown | 108 | 49% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 164 | 75% |
Scientists | 27 | 12% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 23 | 10% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 6 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 9 | 2% |
Japan | 3 | <1% |
Canada | 2 | <1% |
India | 1 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Kenya | 1 | <1% |
Saudi Arabia | 1 | <1% |
Vietnam | 1 | <1% |
Greece | 1 | <1% |
Other | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 453 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 69 | 15% |
Student > Master | 68 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 60 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 44 | 9% |
Other | 29 | 6% |
Other | 95 | 20% |
Unknown | 109 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 126 | 27% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 53 | 11% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 38 | 8% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 26 | 5% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 20 | 4% |
Other | 77 | 16% |
Unknown | 134 | 28% |