He Middle East Breathing syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a type of coronavirus that causes the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-COV). This was first detected in Saudi Aarabia in 2012. Coronavirus is an extensive family of virus Causing diseases covering the cold to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SRAS) and COVID19.
Loose Typical symptoms of MERS are fever, cough and respiratory distress. Pneumonia is frequentBut patients with MERS do not always develop this condition. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been informed. About 35% of the cases of patients with MERIs who have been informed of who died.
He MERS-COV is a zoosotic virus, which means that it is transferred from animals to people (The vector in that area are camels and dromedaries), although it has been proven that the infection is possible from person to person and has mainly taken place between direct contacts and in health care environments.
Sonoses Transmission
A collaboration between researchers from the States São Paulo and Ceará, in Brazil, and from the University of Hong Kong, in China, It resulted in the discovery of a new coronavirus in bats, The first in South America to be closely related to the cause of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The aforementioned study was published in the Journal of Medical Virology.
“We still cannot confirm whether it has the option to infect people. However, we find parts of the protein of the spicine of the virus [que se une a las células de mamíferos y pone en marcha la infección] That suggests one Potential interaction with the recipient that uses the MERS-COV. For more information we are planning experiments in Hong Kong this year, “says Bruna Stefanie Silverio, first author of the study.
Silverio led his control to the Paulo School of Medicine at the Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-Unifesp) with a FAPESP fair and is currently carrying out his PhD in that institution.
In total, the researchers identified seven coronavirus in monsters of five bats collected by the Central Health Laboratory of Ceará (Lacen), in the city of Fortaleza, the capital of the state of Ceará, with Found relief for the great genetic diversity of Coronavirus. The animals belonged to two species (Molossus Molossus and art and bean lituratus), an insective and another economical.
Within the framework of another study carried out by the Lacen-Fortuality and Unifesp groups, They found variants of the virus of the rabies of the Titi in bats (Read more on: Bureau.fapesp.Br/50228).
“Bats are important reservoirs of virus, so they must be subject to constant epidemiological supervision. This monitoring makes it possible to detect virus In circulation, and anticipating the potential risks of their transfer to other animals and even people, ”recalls Ricardo Durães-Carvalho, teacher of the EPM-Unifesp and thesis director of Silverio.
The researcher coordinates the project entitled “Bats: Epidemiological, High -Resolution, Search and Search Surveillance Design of biotechnological interest peptides in emerging and emerging viruses“, Supported by the Fapesp.
Similar genetic sequences
He Coronavirus that causes the MERS was first detected in 2012 in Saudi -Arabia, and caused more than 800 deaths, with matters registered in 27 countries.
Loose Brazilian scientists managed to identify a genetic sequence with a resemblance of 71.9 % With the MERS-COV genoma. The gene that codes for the Sponement protein presented 71.74 % identity with the MERS-COV spicker, isolated in people in Saudi Arabia in 2015.
To check whether it can join human cells, It will be necessary to specify experiments in laboratories with a high level of bio -safety. The realization of these tests is planned for this at the University of Hong Kong. Silverio is preparing for an internship at the School of Public Health of that institution, where he is led by the researcher Leo LM Poon, co -author of the work published now.
The same bat with another virus
Within the framework of an earlier job, published in the same magazine, The researchers identified an emerging virus in humansThe Gemykibivirus, discovered in the same sampling made in the Lacen-Fortuality.
The researchers found a great resemblance to a gemykibivirus detected in human cerebrospinal liquid samples. He The same virus also appeared in samples of blood banksThat had given rise to a work led by researchers from the state of São Paulo supported by the Fapesp, linked to the hemocenter of the city of Ribeirão Preto and the Butantan Institute.
In earlier works it was already informed about the presence of this Gemykibivirus in patients with HIV, sepsis of unknown origin, recurrent pericarditis and cases of diarrhea and encephalitis of cause. But that’s it The first time this virus is detected in bats.
He Virus found the development of new initiators or primers, small DNA sections They bind to certain parts of the taken that are intended to be known. In this case, the primers developed specifically based on the genetic sequence of the Gemykibivirus that is detected in humans.
“The Lack of viral sequences available in databases prevented us from analyzing these viruses more thoroughly. At the same time, the fact that it has detected from such few well -known viral agents makes our work a basis for conducting future investigations, ”says Silverio.
For Durães-Carvalho, “Our studies show the importance of systematizing, optimizing and integrating this type of analysis, with The participation of different sectors to generate data on uniform platforms This can be used in health systems, in monitoring and even in preventing new epidemics and pandemies, culminates.