The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) is a new virus isolated from a fatal respiratory infection patient in Saudi Arabia, in 2012. After MERS-CoV infection had originated from dromedary camels as a zoonotic disease in Arabian Peninsula, it became a threat for humankind with pandemic potential with an evil face of coronaviruses, known as pathogens for mild diseases involving upper respiratory or gastrointestinal tract in humans. Genomic researches suggested that, the MERS-CoV, the new and nasty member of coronaviruses, was originated from bat betacoronaviruses, before the pathogen has adapted to dromedary camels. Humans can acquire the virus from both camels and humans, although the mode of transmission still is not well understood. The WHO announced 1791 laboratory confirmed MERS-CoV cases with 640 deaths (case fatality rate 36%) in 26 countries, from Europe, USA and Asia in people who traveled from the Middle East or their contacts, after the first MERS-CoV case was reported four years ago. Clinical manifestations have a wide spectrum from asymptomatic disease to acute respiratory failure and multiorgan dysfunction leading to death. There is no specific treatment modality for MERS-CoV infection. Thus, infection prevention and control measures are essential to prevent transmission, especially in health care settings. Although MERS-CoV outbreak has subsided in time, it still carries a potential to spread to remote parts of the world. In this article, we reviewed current knowledge on epidemiology, virology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive medicine for MERS-CoV infection.

Keywords: middle east respiratory syndrome, MERS, MERS-CoV, middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus, coronavirus infections