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MERS coronovirus has probably been present in bats for many years, research shows
BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6141 (Published 10 October 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6141- Nigel Hawkes
A1 London
Genetic detective work indicates that the respiratory virus responsible for 58 deaths in the Middle East has infected bats over a considerable period of time. How exactly it made the jump from bats to humans, however, remains uncertain.
A team from Australia aided by a colleague in Singapore studied mutations in the DPP-4 genes in a variety of mammals, from cats to killer whales.1 The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which is responsible for …
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