Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging zoonotic coronavirus. First identified in 2012, MERS-CoV has caused over 2460 infections and a fatality rate of about 35% in humans. Similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), MERS-CoV likely originated from bats; however, different from SARS-CoV, which potentially utilized palm civets as its intermediate hosts, MERS-CoV likely transmits to humans through dromedary camels. Animal models, such as humanized mice and nonhuman primates, have been developed for studying MERS-CoV infection. Currently, there are no vaccines and therapeutics approved for the prevention and treatment of MERS-CoV infection, although a number of them have been developed preclinically or tested clinically. This book covers one editorial and 16 articles (including seven review articles and nine original research papers) written by researchers working in the field of MERS-CoV. It describes the following three main aspects: (1) MERS-CoV epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis; (2) current progress on MERS-CoV animal models, vaccines, and therapeutics; and (3) challenges and future prospects for MERS-CoV research. Overall, this book will help researchers in the MERS-CoV field to further advance their work on the virus. It also has important implications for other coronaviruses as well as viruses outside the coronavirus family with pandemic potentials.

The definitive reference for travel medicine, updated for 2020 "A beloved travel must-have for the intrepid wanderer." -Publishers Weekly "A truly excellent and comprehensive resource." -Journal of Hospital Infection The CDC Yellow Book offers everything travelers and healthcare providers need to know for safe and healthy travel abroad. This 2020 edition includes: � Country-specific risk guidelines for yellow fever and malaria, including expert recommendations and 26 detailed, country-level maps � Detailed maps showing distribution of travel-related illnesses, including dengue, Japanese encephalitis, meningococcal meningitis, and schistosomiasis � Guidelines for self-treating common travel conditions, including altitude illness, jet lag, motion sickness, and travelers' diarrhea � Expert guidance on food and drink precautions to avoid illness, plus water-disinfection techniques for travel to remote destinations � Specialized guidelines for non-leisure travelers, study abroad, work-related travel, and travel to mass gatherings � Advice on medical tourism, complementary and integrative health approaches, and counterfeit drugs � Updated guidance for pre-travel consultations � Advice for obtaining healthcare abroad, including guidance on different types of travel insurance � Health insights around 15 popular tourist destinations and itineraries � Recommendations for traveling with infants and children � Advising travelers with specific needs, including those with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems, health care workers, humanitarian aid workers, long-term travelers and expatriates, and last-minute travelers � Considerations for newly arrived adoptees, immigrants, and refugees Long the most trusted book of its kind, the CDC Yellow Book is an essential resource in an ever-changing field -- and an ever-changing world.

Over the last nine years, FAO, WHO and WOAH have worked with Member States, public health professionals and experts across multiple sectors and technical disciplines to improve preparedness and response capacities for MERS-CoV and other high threat zoonotic pathogens around the world. This work continues to bring together public health and animal health experts from affected and at-risk countries, scientists, and subject matter experts of high threat respiratory pathogens to review the latest scientific evidence on MERS-CoV and improve multi-sectoral collaboration. As a follow-up to previous technical meetings on MERS-CoV hosted by FAO, WHO and WOAH, a Global Technical Meeting was convened virtually on 15-16 November 2021 to share the latest findings from accelerated efforts to implement the MERS-CoV public health research agenda and research and development (R&D) road map, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This documents presents a summary of the presentations and discussions.

Viral respiratory tract infections are important and common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the past two decades, several novel viral respiratory infections have emerged with epidemic potential that threaten global health security. This Monograph aims to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome and other viral respiratory infections, including seasonal influenza, avian influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and human rhinovirus, through six chapters written by authoritative experts from around the globe.

COVID-19 has brought us extensive research databases in the fields of biophysics, biology, and bioinformatics. To extract valuable structural bioinformatic information of SARS-CoV-2 structural and nonstructural proteins, it is necessary to work with large-scale datasets of molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories that need to be optimized. This monograph serves as a comprehensive guide to optimization-based MD studies of the molecular structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and RNA. The book begins by performing local optimization, taking into account the three-body movement and optimizing the noncovalent bonds of each molecular structure. The optimized structures reach a transition state that offers the best stability and lowest energy. The optimization process utilizes a hybrid strategy that combines mathematical optimization with various local search algorithms. This approach significantly reduces data volume while eliminating irrelevant bioinformatics data. To gain a thorough understanding of molecular stability and the mechanism of action, it is essential to consider not only static NMR, X-ray, or cryo-EM structures but also dynamic information obtained through MD or Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. These simulations capture the internal motions and dynamic processes of molecules. Furthermore, for each protein, the structural bioinformatics obtained from the optimized structure is validated by analyzing large-scale MD trajectory databases, which are openly and freely available online. The analysis includes key structural bioinformatics aspects such as salt bridge electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, and hydrophobic interactions specific to each SARS-CoV-2 molecular structure. The book also delves into discussions on drugs, vaccines, and the origins of the virus. Additionally, pandemic mathematical models, including those incorporating time delays, are explored. This book is particularly valuable for professionals working in practical computing roles within computational biochemistry, computational biophysics, optimization and molecular dynamics, structural bioinformatics, biological mathematics, and related fields. It serves as an accessible introduction to these disciplines and is also an excellent teaching resource for students.

Pathogenic Coronaviruses of Humans and Animals: SARS, MERS, COVID-19, and Animal Coronaviruses with Zoonotic Potential provides relevant information about common human coronaviruses that may mutate to increase their virulence. The addition of animal coronaviruses allows awareness of not only the potential of zoonotic transmission of coronaviruses from wild animals such as bats and rodents, but also from domestic agricultural and companion animals. The book opens with an introductory chapter on viruses, the immune system, coronaviruses, and their classifications, prevention and protection. Sections also cover history, disease, causative virus, immune response, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and surveillance. The book's remaining chapters discuss coronaviruses with possible zoonotic transmission of domestic, semi-domestic animals and companion animals. It concludes with future perspectives of coronavirus mutations, modeling, protective measures and a discussion around pandemics and infectious diseases from around the globe. - Covers SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 as well as coronaviruses with possible zoonotic transmission of domestic, semi-domestic animals and companion animals - Complements previous studies by bringing together information that compares human and animal coronaviruses - Includes a glossary and coronavirus disease overviews of humans and animals