When analyzing the ELISA data, we found that the serum SAA concentrations were greatly increased in both the SARS and non-SARS patient groups. The mean serum SAA concentrations of the SARS and non-SARS patient groups were 40-and 85-fold higher than the upper limit of the reference interval (Ͻ10 mg/L), respectively. Consistent with the SELDI data, the serum SAA concentrations were significantly ...

To the Editor: Severe acute respiratory syndrome–associated coro-navirus (SARS-CoV) is a new coro-navirus that caused an epidemic of 8,096 cases of SARS and 774 deaths during 2002–2003 (1). Attempts are ongoing to identify the natural reservoir of SARS-CoV. Several horseshoe bat species (Rhinolopus spp.) from Asia (2,3) and a sample of bats from Africa (4) have been found to be infected by and ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during its incubation period by investigating chains of transmission and individuals isolated for medical observation with a view to providing scientific evidence for updating protocols of medical isolation. METHODS Individuals related with the two SARS chains of transmission in Beijing in 2003 and a group of in...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To estimate the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in early 2003 on a tertiary care hospital in Taiwan, ROC. METHODS The study estimated the utilisation of resources related to infection control, SARS related medical services, and routine medical services, and SARS related medical outcomes at National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH) from 25 ...

Taiwan experienced a series of outbreaks of nosocomial severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infections in 2003. Two months after the final outbreak, we recruited 658 employees from the hospital that suffered the first and most severe SARS infections to help us investigate epidemiological and genetic factors associated with the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS-CoV infections were detected b...

BACKGROUND In 2003, Taiwan experienced a series of outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and 1 laboratory-contamination accident. Here we describe a new phylogenetic analytical method to study the sources and dissemination paths of SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infections in Taiwan. METHODS A phylogenetic analytical tool for combining nucleotide sequences from 6 varia...

In March 2003, a novel coronavirus was isolated from patients exhibiting atypical pneumonia, and was subsequently proven to be the causative agent of the disease now referred to as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The complete genome of the SARS-CoV (SARS coronavirus) has since been sequenced. The SARS-CoV nucleocapsid (SARS-CoV N) protein shares little homology with other members of t...

OBJECTIVE To study the potential risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS)-related deaths in Beijing. METHODS Epidemiological data were collected among the confirmed SARS patients officially reported by Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC), and information was also supplemented by a follow-up case survey. Chi-square test and multivariate stepwise logistic...

BACKGROUND Chemokines play important roles in inflammation and antiviral action. We examined whether polymorphisms of RANTES, IP-10 and Mig affect the susceptibility to and outcome of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). METHODS We tested the polymorphisms of RANTES, IP-10 and Mig for their associations with SARS in 495 Hong Kong Chinese SARS patients and 578 controls. Then we tried to c...

The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) mediates viral entry into target cells. Cleavage and activation of SARS S by a host cell protease is essential for infectious viral entry and the responsible enzymes are potential targets for antiviral intervention. The type II transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2 cleaves and activates SARS S in cell culture and ...