Isolation of a Novel Coronavirus from a Man with Pneumonia in Saudi Arabia¶
Why this mattered¶
TBD
Abstract¶
A previously unknown coronavirus was isolated from the sputum of a 60-year-old man who presented with acute pneumonia and subsequent renal failure with a fatal outcome in Saudi Arabia. The virus (called HCoV-EMC) replicated readily in cell culture, producing cytopathic effects of rounding, detachment, and syncytium formation. The virus represents a novel betacoronavirus species. The closest known relatives are bat coronaviruses HKU4 and HKU5. Here, the clinical data, virus isolation, and molecular identification are presented. The clinical picture was remarkably similar to that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and reminds us that animal coronaviruses can cause severe disease in humans.
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- cite ← Structure, Function, and Antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein — The SARS-CoV-2 spike study compares coronavirus spike structure and receptor entry mechanisms against the previously identified MERS-CoV.
- cite ← Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China — The Wuhan COVID-19 clinical report cites the 2012 MERS coronavirus isolation paper as prior evidence that novel coronaviruses can cause severe human pneumonia.
- cite ← A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin — The 2020 SARS-CoV-2 outbreak paper compares the new coronavirus with MERS-CoV, first isolated from a Saudi pneumonia patient in 2012.
- cite ← Genomic characterisation and epidemiology of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for virus origins and receptor binding — The SARS-CoV-2 genomic study compares the new virus with MERS-CoV, first isolated from a pneumonia patient in Saudi Arabia.