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Genomic analysis of South Korean MERS-CoV isolates

Genomic analysis of South Korean MERS-CoV isolates

An analysis has been carried out on the recently sequenced MERS-CoV isolates from South Korea and China (ex South Korea). A consensus of the sequences demonstrates clustering with viruses from a recent outbreak in Riyadh in February-March 2015. However, the Chinese and Korean viruses are divergent enough to potentially be derived from a separate zoonotic event in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the originating country cannot be determined with certainty. The new MERS-CoVs are unlikely to be phenotypically different from the MERS-CoV currently circulating in the Arabian Peninsula and therefore there does not appear to be evidence for different virulence or transmission properties.