Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Faye Jones
In mid-March 2003 A brief history known human corona- the World Health Outbreak. The SARS outbreak is thought to have viruses, 229E and OC43. Organization (WHO) originated in the Guangdong province of southern China These caused between 5 issued emergency in mid-November, last year. Over 300 people were taken and 30 % of common colds guidance for travellers ill with a new infectious disease and 5 people died. In and could also cause and airlines in the light February this year, a doctor fell ill whilst attending a intestinal infections. of ‘a worldwide health wedding in Hong Kong. He had been treating the threat’ from a new patients in Guangdong. It is believed that he infected Genome of SARS agent infectious disease several guests who were staying in the same Hong Kong revealed. By April, called Severe Acute hotel, as well as medical staff, after being admitted to scientists in Canada and Respiratory Syndrome hospital. He later died of the infection. the US had both sequenced the genome of the virus (SARS). This infection, most linked with SARS. Their results confirmed the which was mainly Out of Hong Kong. The disease then spread outside cause as a coronavirus, different from all those previously affecting people in the Hong Kong with the infected hotel guests. These known. The cause of SARS has now been documented Far East, started with included Singaporeans, Canadians and a Chinese- by the WHO as SARS coronavirus (SARS CoV). ‘flu like symptoms American businessman. The businessman travelled from and rapidly turned to Hong Kong to Hanoi, Vietnam, and fell ill a few days Coronavirus. Coronaviruses are enveloped, single- pneumonia. Thought later, infecting hospital workers there. The World stranded RNA viruses. They have a genome of to be caused by a virus, Health Organization (WHO) asked Carlo Urbani, an approximately 30 kilobases, the largest of the RNA SARS defied treatment infectious disease specialist, to advise in Vietnam. He viruses. This family of viruses is named for their crown- and was proving fatal in realized the disease was something new and called it like appearance, which is due to an array of surface many cases. Since this Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Due to his projections on the viral envelope. Typically, they have a announcement the close work with SARS patients, Carlo Urbani himself narrow host range and they replicate in the cytoplasm disease has spread to became infected and died in March. of the host epithelial cells. many other countries, fuelling much media Teamwork required. The WHO began to co-ordinate Symptoms hysteria and general a number of international laboratories to work together SARS is an atypical pneumonia, with symptoms that panic. As we go to to find the cause of the disease. Microarray analysis on are ‘flu-like. These include high fever (greater than press, the WHO has samples indicated that a coronavirus was the cause of 38 °C), aching muscles, chills, sore throat, headache, announced that the the disease. In particular, they observed a strong link dry cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties, worst is over. Faye between the SARS virus and two other coronaviruses: and in a number of cases, diarrhoea. Research published Jones, SGM Public avian infectious bronchitis virus and a bovine in The Lancet suggested that SARS CoV kills 1 in 5 Affairs Administrator, coronavirus. At this time, there were already two people infected. Those aged over 60 are most at risk, with has chronicled the whole over half those infected dying; the death rate is about 7 % story week by week in those aged under 60. The incubation period is 2–10 on the SGM website days, and the infectious period does not start until the (www.sgm.ac. uk/ onset of symptoms. Antibodies to SARS have been news/hot_topics/ detected in patients from about 10 days after the start sars.cfm). Here is her of clinical symptoms. summary of what has been dubbed ‘the first Diagnosis global epidemic of Early on in suspected cases, the presence of the SARS the 21st century’. CoV polymerase gene is detected using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Much later on in infection, the immune system produces antibodies to the virus, which allows serological methods of detection to be employed.