Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection Dynamics and Antibody Responses among Clinically Diverse Patients, Saudi Arabia

• DOI: 10.3201/eid2504.181595
• Publication Date: 2019-03-13T16:26:34Z
• Authors: Hail M. Al-Abdely; Claire M. Midgley; Abdulrahim M. Alk...; Glen R. Abedi; Xiaoyan Lu; Alison M. Binder; Khalid H. Alanazi; Azaibi Tamin; Weam M. Banjar; Sandra Lester; Osman Abdalla; Rebecca M. Dahl; Mutaz Mohammed; Suvang Trivedi; Homoud S. Algarni; Senthilkumar K. S...; Abdullah Algwizani; Fahad Bafaqeeh; Abdullah Alzahrani; Ali Abraheem Alsh...; Raafat F. Alhakeem; Hani A. Aziz Jokhdar; Sameeh S. Ghazal; Natalie J. Thornburg; Dean D. Erdman; Abdullah M. Assiri; John T. Watson; Susan I. Gerber
• Keywords: Coronavirus; Respiratory tract

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) shedding and antibody responses are not fully understood, particularly in relation to underlying medical conditions, clinical manifestations, mortality. We enrolled MERS-CoV–positive patients at a hospital Saudi Arabia periodically collected specimens from multiple sites for real-time reverse transcription PCR serologic testing. conducted interviews chart abstractions collect clinical, epidemiologic, laboratory information. found that diabetes mellitus among survivors was associated with prolonged MERS-CoV RNA detection the tract. Among case-patients who died, development of robust neutralizing serum during second third week illness sufficient patient recovery or virus clearance. Fever cough mildly ill typically aligned upper tract; levels peaked first illness. These findings should be considered infection control policies, vaccines, therapeutics.