Supplemental Information: Novel Coronavirus Linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [Monday, March 24, 2003, 23:10 EST (11:10 PM EST)]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Health Alert Network (HAN)
• Description:
  Monday, March 24, 2003, 23:10 EST (11:10 PM EST)
  
  CDCHAN -00128-03-03-24-UPD-N
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today that laboratory analysis has identified a previously unrecognized coronavirus in clinical specimens from patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Coronaviruses are a com m on cause of mild to moderate upper-respiratory illness in humans and are associated with respiratory, gastrointestinal, liver, and neurologic disease in several animal species. Since late February 2003, CDC has been working with the World Health Organization (WHO ), international partners at laboratory centers, and ministries of health in an investigation of SARS. As of March 24, a total of 456 cases of SARS and 17 deaths had been reported worldwide, according to WHO.
  
  The new coronavirus was isolated from clinical specimens of two patients with SARS, cultured in Vero E6 cells, and then characterized by several laboratory methods. Electron microscopy showed that the agent has the distinctive shape and appearance of coronaviruses. Testing of multiple sera from each of three patients by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests showed that all three went from being negative to positive for the new coronavirus; a single convalescent-phase specimen from a fourth patient was also IFA positive. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of other specimens (including nasal and oral swabs and lung tissue) revealed the presence of coronavirus in at least five patients, including two with IFA-positive results. Other serologic tests demonstrated that the new agent reacts with antisera to one of the three known coronavirus serogroups, but sequence analysis suggests that it is distinct from the known coronaviruses.
  
  CDC officials emphasized that the laboratory results announced today are preliminary and do not provide conclusive evidence that the new agent is the cause of SARS. Several laboratories collaborating in the WHO-led investigation had previously reported the isolation of a different virus -human metapneumovirus- from patients with SARS. There is insufficient information at this time to determine what role the new coronavirus or metapneumovirus has in the cause of SARS.
  
  
• Content Notes:
  Notice of Possible Alert Expiration: The CDC Health Alert, Advisory, Update, and Info Service announcements, distributed by the Health Alert Network (HAN), were active on the date they were originally published. Publication dates have been added to Titles for clarity. A CDC Health Alert, Advisory, Update, and Info Service announcement may expire at any time. They may also be updated or superseded according to later developments. None of the CDC Health Alert, Advisory, Update, or Info Service announcements in the Stacks HAN Collection should be assumed to be current or active. Stacks preserves HAN announcements in order to maintain a record of past CDC actions. Stacks in not designed for up-to-the-minute notifications. For the list of current CDC Health Alert, Advisory, Update, or Info Service announcements, patrons should visit the Health Alert Network (HAN) webpage at https://www.cdc.gov/han/php/about/index.html. For up to the minute reports, subscribe to the HAN email alert system hosted by CDC News & Updates at https://tools.cdc.gov/campaignproxyservice/subscriptions.aspx?topic_id=USCDC_486
  
  Categories of Health Alert Network (HAN) messages:
  
  Health Alert: Requires immediate action or attention, highest level of importance.
  
  Health Advisory: May not require immediate action; provides important information for a specific incident or situation.
  
  Health Update: Unlikely to require immediate action; provides updated information regarding an incident or situation.
  
  HAN Info Service: Does not require immediate action; provides general public health information.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases, Emerging Coronavirus SARS Virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
• Keywords:
  HAN Health Alert Network
• Source:
  HAN ; 128
• Series:
  Health Alert Network
• Subseries:
  CDC Health Update
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Alert
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Rights:
  Public Domain
• Pages in Document:
  1 unnumbered page
• Issue:
  00128
• Collection(s):
  Health Alert Network (HAN)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:74f39a3d887d1dda05fb6ba18b3c8bfef4d61422943685b27323771d7e4847773dee4b0e75eff302eb02be7dcd79f99ace889975c70695828d1158ad460f9b9c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/25040/cdc_25040_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 751.74 KB ]