SARS-related Virus Predating SARS Outbreak, Hong Kong

Abstract

Using immunofluorescence and neutralization assays, we detected antibodies to human severe acute respiratory syndrome–associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and/or animal SARS-CoV–like virus in 17 (1.8%) of 938 adults recruited in 2001. This finding suggests that a small proportion of healthy persons in Hong Kong had been exposed to SARS-related viruses at least 2 years before the recent SARS outbreak.

Use of Viral Lysate Antigen Combined with Recombinant Protein in Western Immunoblot Assay as Confirmatory Test for Serodiagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

“…Thus, it is not surprising that the viral lysatederived N protein on the Western immunoblot presented cross-reactivities with those non-SARS-related samples. This result is consistent with the finding of a recent report of antibodies cross-reactive to human and animal SARS-CoV in samples of healthy adults collected 2 years prior to the SARS outbreak (22). Although the report suggested the existence of a SARS-related virus predating the SARS outbreak, the possibility of the observed cross-reactivity due to a more distant but CoV-related agent cannot be completely ruled out in view of our present findings.…”

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): A Year in Review

“…The extent to which SARS-CoV may have infected people prior to 2003 is also unknown, but recent serologic studies in Hong Kong suggest that SARSlike viruses may have circulated in human populations previously (20,21). Zheng and colleagues postulate that SARS may be the result of rapid evolution of a related coronavirus that had previously taken root in the human population and then experienced mutations (21).…”

“…In most cases, vaccines in animals have been safe and cost-effective from the perspective of food-producing commercial outcomes. Disease enhancement, however, has been reported in cats in the case of live attenuated vaccine for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) (21,98). The molecular mechanisms by which disease exacerbation occurs in FIP are not fully understood, but specific classes of antibodies against the S protein can accelerate the disease process through their effect on Fc-receptor-mediated uptake of the virus by macrophages (99,100).…”

“…Zheng and colleagues postulate that SARS may be the result of rapid evolution of a related coronavirus that had previously taken root in the human population and then experienced mutations (21).…”

“…In particular, interleukin (IL)-13, IL-16, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) are found at high levels during the initial phase of illness, and TNFα and IL-16 are found at high levels in plasma during the recovery phases (days [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. IL-18 levels are consistently suppressed throughout SARS.…”