Isolation of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus from a Patient of the 2015 Korean Outbreak

Abstract

During the 2015 outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Korea, 186 persons were infected, resulting in 38 fatalities. We isolated MERS-CoV from the oropharyngeal sample obtained from a patient of the outbreak. Cytopathic effects showing detachment and rounding of cells were observed in Vero cell cultures 3 days after inoculation of the sample. Spherical virus particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Full-length genome sequence of the virus isolate was obtained and phylogenetic analyses showed that it clustered with clade B of MERS-CoV.