Inclusion of MERS-spike protein ELISA in algorithm to determine serologic evidence of MERS-CoV infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) algorithm for detecting presence of serum antibodies against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in subjects with potential infections with the virus has included screening by indirect ELISA against recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein and confirmation by immunofluorescent staining of infected monolayers and/or microneutralization titration. Other international groups include indirect ELISA assays using the spike (S) protein, as part of their serological determinations. In the current study, we describe development and validation of an indirect MERS-CoV S ELISA to be used as part of our serological determination for evidence of previous exposure to the virus.

Persistence of Antibodies against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.

To determine how long antibodies against Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus persist, we measured long-term antibody responses among persons serologically positive or indeterminate after a 2012 outbreak in Jordan. Antibodies, including neutralizing antibodies, were detectable in 6 (86%) of 7 persons for at least 34 months after the outbreak.

Deletion Variants of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus from Humans, Jordan, 2015.

We characterized Middle East respiratory syndrome coronaviruses from a hospital outbreak in Jordan in 2015. The viruses from Jordan were highly similar to isolates from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, except for deletions in open reading frames 4a and 3. Transmissibility and pathogenicity of this strain remains to be determined.

Stillbirth during infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

We conducted an epidemiologic investigation among survivors of an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Jordan. A second-trimester stillbirth occurred during the course of an acute respiratory illness that was attributed to MERS-CoV on the basis of exposure history and positive results of MERS-CoV serologic testing. This is the first occurrence of stillbirth during an infection with MERS-CoV and may have bearing upon the surveillance and management of pregnant women in settings of unexplained respiratory illness potentially due to MERS-CoV. Future prospective investigations of MERS-CoV should ascertain pregnancy status and obtain further pregnancy-related data, including biological specimens for confirmatory testing.

Hospital-associated outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: a serologic, epidemiologic, and clinical description.

BACKGROUND: In April 2012, the Jordan Ministry of Health investigated an outbreak of lower respiratory illnesses at a hospital in Jordan; 2 fatal cases were retrospectively confirmed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) to be the first detected cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). METHODS: Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of selected potential cases were assessed through serum blood specimens, medical record reviews, and interviews with surviving outbreak members, household contacts, and healthcare personnel. Cases of MERS-CoV infection were identified using 3 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serologic tests for detection of anti-MERS-CoV antibodies. RESULTS: Specimens and interviews were obtained from 124 subjects. Seven previously unconfirmed individuals tested positive for anti-MERS-CoV antibodies by at least 2 of 3 serologic tests, in addition to 2 fatal cases identified by rRT-PCR. The case-fatality rate among the 9 total cases was 22%. Six subjects were healthcare workers at the outbreak hospital, yielding an attack rate of 10% among potentially exposed outbreak hospital personnel. There was no evidence of MERS-CoV transmission at 2 transfer hospitals having acceptable infection control practices. CONCLUSIONS: Novel serologic tests allowed for the detection of otherwise unrecognized cases of MERS-CoV infection among contacts in a Jordanian hospital-associated respiratory illness outbreak in April 2012, resulting in a total of 9 test-positive cases. Serologic results suggest that further spread of this outbreak to transfer hospitals did not occur. Most subjects had no major, underlying medical conditions; none were on hemodialysis. Our observed case-fatality rate was lower than has been reported from outbreaks elsewhere.

Real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay panel for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

A new human coronavirus (CoV), subsequently named Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV, was first reported in Saudi Arabia in September 2012. In response, we developed two real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) assays targeting the MERS-CoV nucleocapsid (N) gene and evaluated these assays as a panel with a previously published assay targeting the region upstream of the MERS-CoV envelope gene (upE) for the detection and confirmation of MERS-CoV infection. All assays detected ≤10 copies/reaction of quantified RNA transcripts, with a linear dynamic range of 8 log units and 1.3 × 10(-3) 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50)/ml of cultured MERS-CoV per reaction. All assays performed comparably with respiratory, serum, and stool specimens spiked with cultured virus. No false-positive amplifications were obtained with other human coronaviruses or common respiratory viral pathogens or with 336 diverse clinical specimens from non-MERS-CoV cases; specimens from two confirmed MERS-CoV cases were positive with all assay signatures. In June 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the rRT-PCR assay panel as an in vitro diagnostic test for MERS-CoV. A kit consisting of the three assay signatures and a positive control was assembled and distributed to public health laboratories in the United States and internationally to support MERS-CoV surveillance and public health responses.

Multihospital Outbreak of a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Deletion Variant, Jordan: A Molecular, Serologic, and Epidemiologic Investigation.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Jordan in 2015 involved a variant virus that acquired distinctive deletions in the accessory open reading frames. We conducted a molecular and seroepidemiologic investigation to describe the deletion variant's transmission patterns and epidemiology. METHODS: We reviewed epidemiologic and medical chart data and analyzed viral genome sequences from respiratory specimens of MERS-CoV cases. In early 2016, sera and standardized interviews were obtained from MERS-CoV cases and their contacts. Sera were evaluated by nucleocapsid and spike protein enzyme immunoassays and microneutralization. RESULTS: Among 16 cases, 11 (69%) had health care exposure and 5 (31%) were relatives of a known case; 13 (81%) were symptomatic, and 7 (44%) died. Genome sequencing of MERS-CoV from 13 cases revealed 3 transmissible deletions associated with clinical illness during the outbreak. Deletion variant sequences were epidemiologically clustered and linked to a common transmission chain. Interviews and sera were collected from 2 surviving cases, 23 household contacts, and 278 health care contacts; 1 (50%) case, 2 (9%) household contacts, and 3 (1%) health care contacts tested seropositive. CONCLUSIONS: The MERS-CoV deletion variants retained human-to-human transmissibility and caused clinical illness in infected persons despite accumulated mutations. Serology suggested limited transmission beyond that detected during the initial outbreak investigation.

Acute respiratory infections among returning Hajj pilgrims-Jordan, 2014.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has prompted enhanced surveillance for respiratory infections among pilgrims returning from the Hajj, one of the largest annual mass gatherings in the world. OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology and etiologies of respiratory illnesses among pilgrims returning to Jordan after the 2014 Hajj. STUDY DESIGN: Surveillance for respiratory illness among pilgrims returning to Jordan after the 2014 Hajj was conducted at sentinel health care facilities using epidemiologic surveys and molecular diagnostic testing of upper respiratory specimens for multiple respiratory pathogens, including MERS-CoV. RESULTS: Among the 125 subjects, 58% tested positive for at least one virus; 47% tested positive for rhino/enterovirus. No cases of MERS-CoV were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pilgrims returning to Jordan from the 2014 Hajj with respiratory illness were determined to have a viral etiology, but none were due to MERS-CoV. A greater understanding of the epidemiology of acute respiratory infections among returning travelers to other countries after Hajj should help optimize surveillance systems and inform public health response practices.

Influenza hospitalization epidemiology from a severe acute respiratory infection surveillance system in Jordan, January 2008-February 2014.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Influenza typically contributes substantially to the burden of ARI, but only limited data are available on influenza activity and seasonality in Jordan. METHODS: Syndromic case definitions were used to identify individuals with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) admitted to four sentinel hospitals in Jordan. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were tested for influenza using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and typed as influenza A or B, with influenza A further subtyped. RESULTS: From January 2008-February 2014, 2891 SARI cases were tested for influenza, and 257 (9%) were positive. While 73% of all SARI cases were under 5 years of age, only 57% of influenza-positive cases were under 5 years of age. Eight (3%) influenza-positive cases died. An annual seasonal pattern of influenza activity was observed. The proportion of influenza-positive cases peaked during November-January (14-42%) in the non-pandemic years. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in Jordan. The seasonal pattern of influenza aligns with known Northern Hemisphere seasonality. Further characterization of the clinical and financial burden of influenza in Jordan will be critical in supporting decisions regarding disease control activities.

Emergence of plasmid-mediated multidrug resistance in epidemic and non-epidemic strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi from Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi has not been adequately explored in Jordan. METHODOLOGY: In this study we investigated antibiotic resistance patterns and resistance determinants coupled with fingerprint methods of forty-eight isolates of S. Typhi obtained from 113 patients with suspected enteric fever admitted at six governmental hospitals in different directorates in Jordan. Twenty-four isolates were from an outbreak of typhoid fever that occurred between October 2004 and January 2005, and another twenty-four were from sporadic cases from 2005. RESULTS: All isolates of S. Typhi were resistant to streptomycin. A multidrug resistant (MDR) pattern of ampicillin, chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole with tetracycline and streptomycin (R-type ACCoTS) was found in 58% of the epidemic strains causing the outbreak and in 98% of the strains from sporadic cases. MDR isolates harbored a single IncHI1 plasmid containing a class 1 integron (dfrA7). Plasmid conjugation studies demonstrated a genetic transfer of resistance (ACCoT). S. Typhi isolates were all sensitive to fluoroquinolones and cefotaxime, the alternative drugs recommended for treatment of typhoid fever. The genomic analysis using PFGE showed: a) the outbreak was caused by an introduced circulating clone with/without an MDR plasmid, and b) isolates from the sporadic cases from 2005 are the same MDR clone that persisted and spread in the country. CONCLUSION: The emergence of MDR S. Typhi strains is a majorn important public health issue in Jordan. This study should guide selection of effective antibiotic therapy for the treatment of typhoid and monitoring of the spread of MDR of S. Typhi.