scholarly journals Factors Associated With Viral Load Kinetics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus During the 2015 Outbreak in South Korea

Author(s):  
Jeong-Sun Yang ◽  
Min-Gyu Yoo ◽  
Hye-Ja Lee ◽  
Han Byul Jang ◽  
Hee-Dong Jung ◽  
...  

Abstract We conducted a retrospective study of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) viral load kinetics using data from patients hospitalized with MERS-CoV infection between 19 May and 20 August 2015. Viral load trajectories were considered over the hospitalization period using 1714 viral load results measured in serial respiratory specimens of 185 patients. The viral load levels were significantly higher among nonsurvivors than among survivors (P = .003). Healthcare workers (P = .001) and nonspreaders (P < .001) had significantly lower viral loads. Viral RNA was present on the day of symptom onset and peaked 4–10 days after symptom onset.

Author(s):  
Yves Longtin ◽  
Hugues Charest ◽  
Caroline Quach ◽  
Patrice Savard ◽  
Mariana Baz ◽  
...  

Abstract We performed viral culture of respiratory specimens in 118 severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–infected healthcare workers (HCWs), ∼2 weeks after symptom onset. Only 1 HCW (0.8%) had a positive culture. No factors for prolonged viral shedding were identified. Infectivity is resolved in nearly all HCWs ∼2 weeks after symptom onset.


Author(s):  
Melissa McDiarmid ◽  
Marian Condon ◽  
Joanna Gaitens

Pandemic diseases of this century have differentially targeted healthcare workers globally. These infections include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Ebola. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued this pattern, putting healthcare workers at extreme risk. Just as healthcare workers have historically been committed to the service of their patients, providing needed care, termed their “duty of care”, so too do healthcare employers have a similar ethical duty to provide care toward their employees arising from historical common law requirements. This paper reports on results of a narrative review performed to assess COVID-19 exposure and disease development in healthcare workers as a function of employer duty of care program elements adopted in the workplace. Significant duty of care deficiencies reported early in the pandemic most commonly involved lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) availability. Beyond worker safety, we also provide evidence that an additional benefit of employer duty of care actions is a greater sense of employee well-being, thus aiding in the prevention of healthcare worker burnout.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. e0206831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Shalhoub ◽  
Fahad Al-Hameed ◽  
Yasser Mandourah ◽  
Hanan H. Balkhy ◽  
Awad Al-Omari ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Richard Avoi ◽  
Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim ◽  
Mohammad Saffree Jeffree ◽  
Visweswara Rao Pasupuleti

  Since the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded in China (Huang et al., 2020) back in December 2019, thus far, more than five million people were infected with the virus and 333,401 death were recorded worldwide (WHO, 2020b). The exponential increase in number shows that COVID-19 spreads faster compared to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). A study (Zou et al., 2020) has shown that high viral loads of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are detected in symptomatic patients soon after the onset of symptoms, wherein the load content is higher in their nose than in their throat. Furthermore, the same study has revealed similar viral loads between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Therefore, these findings may suggest the possibility of COVID-19 transmission earlier before the onset of symptoms itself. In the early stages of the pandemic, the control measures carried out have focused on screening of symptomatic person; at the time, the whole world thought that the spread of SARS-Cov-2 would only occur through symptomatic person-to-person transmission. In comparison, transmission in SARS would happen after the onset of illness, whereby the viral loads in the respiratory tract peaked around ten days after the development of symptoms by patients (Peiris et al., 2003). However, case detection for SARS (i.e. screening of symptomatic persons) will be grossly inadequate for the current COVID-19 pandemic, thus requiring different strategies to detect those infected with SARS-CoV-2 before they develop the symptoms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-301
Author(s):  
Yaseen Arabi ◽  
Ali Hajeer ◽  
Hanan Balkhy ◽  
Sameera AlJohani ◽  
Musharaf Sadat ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e017476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandar Abdulmohsen Al Knawy ◽  
Hanan M F Al-Kadri ◽  
Mahmoud Elbarbary ◽  
Yaseen Arabi ◽  
Hanan H Balkhy ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThis study examines perceptions of the operational and organisational management of a major outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Perspectives were sought from key decision-makers and clinical staff about the factors perceived to promote and inhibit effective and rapid control of the outbreak.SettingA large teaching tertiary healthcare centre in KSA; the outbreak lasted 6 weeks from June 2015.ParticipantsData were collected via individual and focus group interviews with 28 key informant participants (9 management decision-makers and 19 frontline healthcare workers).DesignWe used qualitative methods of process evaluation to examine perceptions of the outbreak and the factors contributing to, or detracting from successful management. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis.ResultsFive themes and 15 subthemes were found. The themes were related to: (1) the high stress of the outbreak, (2) factors perceived to contribute to outbreak occurrence, (3) factors perceived to contribute to success of outbreak control, (4) factors inhibiting outbreak control and (5) long-term institutional gains in response to the outbreak management.ConclusionManagement of the MERS-CoV outbreak at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh was widely recognised by staff as a serious outbreak of local and national significance. While the outbreak was controlled successfully in 6 weeks, progress in management was inhibited by a lack of institutional readiness to implement infection control (IC) measures and reduce patient flow, low staff morale and high anxiety. Effective management was promoted by greater involvement of all staff in sharing learning and knowledge of the outbreak, developing trust and teamwork and harnessing collective leadership. Future major IC crises could be improved via measures to strengthen these areas, better coordination of media management and proactive staff counselling and support.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Nowotny ◽  
J Kolodziejek

A countrywide survey in Oman revealed Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) nucleic acid in five of 76 dromedary camels. Camel-derived MERS-CoV sequences (3,754 nucleotides assembled from partial sequences of the open reading frame (ORF)1a, spike, and ORF4b genes) from Oman and Qatar were slightly different from each other, but closely related to human MERS-CoV sequences from the same geographical areas, suggesting local zoonotic transmission. High viral loads in nasal and conjunctival swabs suggest possible transmission by the respiratory route.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 6117-6120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jincun Zhao ◽  
Ranawaka A. P. M. Perera ◽  
Ghazi Kayali ◽  
David Meyerholz ◽  
Stanley Perlman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMiddle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a highly lethal pulmonary infection. Serum from convalescent MERS patients may provide some benefit but is not readily available. In contrast, nearly all camels in the Middle East have been infected with MERS-CoV. Here, we show that sera obtained from MERS-immune camels augment the kinetics of MERS-CoV clearance and reduce the severity of pathological changes in infected lungs, with efficacy proportional to the titer of MERS-CoV-neutralizing serum antibody.IMPORTANCEMiddle East respiratory syndrome, caused by a coronavirus, is highly lethal, with a case fatality rate of 35 to 40%. No specific therapy is available, and care is generally supportive. One promising approach is passive administration of sera from convalescent human MERS patients or other animals to exposed or infected patients. The vast majority of, if not all, camels in the Middle East have been infected with MERS-CoV, and some contain high titers of antibody to the virus. Here, we show that this antibody is protective if delivered either prophylactically or therapeutically to mice infected with MERS-CoV, indicating that this may be a useful intervention in infected patients.


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