The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), a close relative of the deadly SARS strain, is somewhat of an enigma to scientists. Knowledge of how the virus spreads, how long its incubation period is, and how to treat patients afflicted with the illness remains a point of contention. However, a recent study published in the journal the New England Journal of Medicine examines two particular case studies in an effort to uproot answers, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Although MERS emerged just one short year ago, the first instance of coronavirus was recorded in the mid-1960s, according to the Center for Disease Control. In fact, the CDC asserts that "Coronaviruses are common viruses that most people get some time in their life. Human coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses."
The study, which looked at two MERS-infected French patients, suggested that symptoms may appear nine to twelve days from the moment of infection, and that the virus may be transmitted through blood, feces, or "large respiratory droplets" which are expelled through laughing, coughing, or sneezing.
Coronavirus has also been known to transfer person-to-person through close personal contact and touch. Currently, no treatments exist, although most patients infected with the coronavirus "will recover on their own," explains the CDC.
That being said, MERS is an offshoot of coronavirus and differentiates itself from the more common versions of the illness. Scientists are still probing MERS for new data and a better understanding of how to treat infected patients.
The virus has been known to cause sore throat, fever, runny nose, and coughing, as well as pneumonia in some cases.