Anti-SARS virus antibody responses against human SARS-associated coronavirus and animal SARS-associated coronavirus-like virus

摘要

Severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS ) is an infectious disease first recognized in November 2002 in Guangdong province, China. It was spread to many countries all over the world within a few months. By April 2003 , SARS-associated coronavirus ( SARS-CoV ) was found to be the etiological agent. After that, an animal SARS-CoV-like virus was isolated from Himalayan palm civets and other animals found in a live animal market in Shenzhen, China. The genome sequence of it has 99. 8% homology to the human SARS-CoV. Genetic analysis and epidemiologic studies suggest that SARS-CoV is a new member of that family introduced recently into humans. Subsequently, a series of serologic studies demonstrate that evidence of virus infection was also detected in humans working at the market where animal SARS-CoV-like virus was identified.