Open AccessIsolation and growth characterization of novel full length and deletion mutant human MERS-CoV strains from clinical specimens collected during 2015
Author(s) -
Azaibi Tamin,
Krista Queen,
Clinton R. Paden,
Xiaoyan Lu,
Erica L. Andres,
Senthilkumar K. Sakthivel,
Yán Li,
Ying Tao,
Jing Zhang,
Shifaq Kamili,
Abdullah M. Assiri,
Ali Alshareef,
Taghreed A. Alaifan,
Asmaa M. Altamimi,
Hani Jokhdar,
John T. Watson,
Susan I. Gerber,
Suxiang Tong,
Natalie J. Thornburg
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of general virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1465-2099
pISSN - 0022-1317
DOI - 10.1099/jgv.0.001334
Subject(s) - biology , clade , virology , genome , vero cell , middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus , phylogenetic tree , whole genome sequencing , phylogenetics , coronavirus , genetics , gene , virus , covid-19 , infectious disease (medical specialty) , medicine , disease , pathology
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in September 2012 caused by the human coronavirus (CoV), MERS-CoV. Using full-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, scientists have identified three clades and multiple lineages of MERS-CoV in humans and the zoonotic host, dromedary camels. In this study, we have characterized eight MERS-CoV isolates collected from patients in Saudi Arabia in 2015. We have performed full-genome sequencing on the viral isolates, and compared them to the corresponding clinical specimens. All isolates were clade B, lineages 4 and 5. Three of the isolates carry deletions located on three independent regions of the genome in the 5'UTR, ORF1a and ORF3. All novel MERS-CoV strains replicated efficiently in Vero and Huh7 cells. Viruses with deletions in the 5'UTR and ORF1a exhibited impaired viral release in Vero cells. These data emphasize the plasticity of the MERS-CoV genome during human infection.