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Middle East respiratory syndrome vaccines
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Middle East respiratory syndrome vaccines

Stanley Perlman and Rahul Vijay
International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol.47, pp.23-28
06/01/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2016.04.008
PMCID: PMC4969153
PMID: 27062985
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2016.04.008View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), caused by a novel coronavirus, is a highly lethal respiratory disease.•No vaccines or antiviral therapies are available.•Camels are widely infected and may be good targets for vaccination.•MERS monoclonal antibodies and human convalescent sera may be useful for prophylaxis and treatment.•Active immunization strategies, based on the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) experience, are under development. The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has infected over 1600 individuals with nearly 600 deaths since it was first identified in human populations in 2012. No antiviral therapies or vaccines are available for its treatment or prophylaxis. Approaches to the development of MERS vaccines are discussed herein, including a summary of previous efforts to develop vaccines useful against human and non-human coronaviruses. A striking feature of MERS is the important role that camels have in transmission. Camel vaccination may be a novel approach to preventing human infection.
Vaccines Human respiratory disease Coronavirus Middle East respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome

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