The newly emerged Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has infected at least 1,082 people, including 439 fatalities. So far, no empirical virus isolation study has been done to elucidate infectious virus secretion or serotype variability. Here, we used 51 respiratory samples from 32 patients with confirmed MERS-CoV infection for virus isolation in Vero B4 and Caco-2 cells. We found Caco-2 cells to significantly enhance isolation success over routinely used Vero cells. Isolation success correlated with viral RNA concentration and time after diagnosis as well as with the amount of IgA antibodies secreted in respiratory samples used for isolation. Results from plaque reduction neutralization assays using a representative range of serum samples and virus isolates suggested that all circulating human MERS-CoV strains represent one single serotype. The choice of prototype strain is not likely to influence the success of candidate MERS-CoV vaccines. However, vaccine formulations should be evaluated for their potential to induce IgA.
Since it was discovered in 2012, the camel-borne virus causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has sickened more than 1200 people in the Middle East and killed more than 500 of them.
Scientists worry that the slow-burning epidemic could turn into a global pandemic if the virus changes, so they're hard at work on candidate vaccines for people. But to stamp out the virus before it escalates into an emergency, says Christian Drosten, a virologist at the University of Bonn in Germany, "the best strategy is trying to suppress circulation of the virus in camels." This week online in Science a team reports encouraging results for one candidate camel vaccine, though its main effect—reducing the level of virus shed by the animals—may not be enough to stop MERS's circulation. Nor is it clear whether the vaccine gives lasting protection or whether camel owners will accept vaccinating against a disease that causes hardly any symptoms in the animals.
IABS (International Alliance for Biological Standardization) annonce la participation de sa filiale européenne IABS-EU (Association Internationale de Standardisation Biologique pour l’Europe) au programme IMI Zoonosis Anticipation and Preparedness Initiative (ZAPI)