Hospital-Associated Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: A Serologic, Epidemiologic, and Clinical Description

摘要: In April 2012, the Jordan Ministry of Health (JMoH) investigated a cluster 13 suspected pneumonia cases among healthcare personnel, which 2 were fatal, at hospital in city Zarqa [1]. Despite testing for multiple potential pathogens, investigation did not identify known etiology these infections. Following discovery Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) September 2012 [2], specimens from fatal retrospectively tested and both yielded positive results MERS-CoV by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), reported to World Organization (WHO). These first confirmed human infection with this emergent virus, continues appear as sporadic clusters internationally, is now focus worldwide public health response [3, 4]. Using newly developed serologic assays determine antibody responses case contacts outbreak, epidemiologists JMoH, US Centers Disease Control Prevention (CDC), regional partners conducted retrospective seroepidemiologic (1) confirm whether surviving outbreak members had presence antibodies MERS-CoV, (2) ascertain viral transmission occurred household or other (3) describe clinical features all detected infections Jordan.