Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: An Emerging Infection

AUGUST 2015 ARTICLE LIST >>

PharmaTutor (August- 2015)

Print-ISSN: 2394 - 6679
e-ISSN: 2347 - 7881
(Volume 3, Issue 8)

Received On: 22/04/2015; Accepted On: 26/04/2015; Published On: 01/08/2015

AUTHORS: Suresh Rewar¹*, Dashrath Mirdha², Prahlad Rewar³
¹Department of pharmaceutics, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan,
²Dr. Sarvepali Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
³Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
sureshrewar1990@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: A severe viral illness caused by a newly discovered coronavirus was first reported in the Middle East in 2012. The virus has since been named the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS-CoV cases have been reported in several countries around the world in travelers from the Middle East., A substantial number of Indians live and work in Gulf countries. People from India also travel to Saudi Arabia as Pilgrims to Hajj. The illness has a high mortality rate. Limited human-to-human transmission has occurred including transmission to health care workers. The source of the virus remains unclear, but camels are a possible source. Since April 2012 and as of 20 February 2015, 1042 cases (including 419 deaths) of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported by local health authorities worldwide. Laboratory confirmation of MERS-CoV infections to date has largely been by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) of lower respiratory tract specimens. Neither a vaccine nor effective therapy against the virus is available. Treatment consists of limited to supportive care, including mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure and/or hemodialysis in the setting of renal failure. Therapeutic modalities based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have shown clinical success in the treatment of many diseases.

How to cite this article: S Rewar, D Mirdha, P Rewar; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: An Emerging Infection; PharmaTutor; 2015; 3(8); 38-41

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Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: An Emerging Infection

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