A database of geopositioned Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus occurrences

Sci Data. 2019 Dec 13;6(1):318. doi: 10.1038/s41597-019-0330-0.

Abstract

As a World Health Organization Research and Development Blueprint priority pathogen, there is a need to better understand the geographic distribution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and its potential to infect mammals and humans. This database documents cases of MERS-CoV globally, with specific attention paid to zoonotic transmission. An initial literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus; after screening articles according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, a total of 208 sources were selected for extraction and geo-positioning. Each MERS-CoV occurrence was assigned one of the following classifications based upon published contextual information: index, unspecified, secondary, mammal, environmental, or imported. In total, this database is comprised of 861 unique geo-positioned MERS-CoV occurrences. The purpose of this article is to share a collated MERS-CoV database and extraction protocol that can be utilized in future mapping efforts for both MERS-CoV and other infectious diseases. More broadly, it may also provide useful data for the development of targeted MERS-CoV surveillance, which would prove invaluable in preventing future zoonotic spillover.

Publication types

  • Dataset
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Databases, Factual*
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Geography
  • Humans
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus