Contact with food animals was associated with SARS-CoV infection in the People’s Republic of China. Epidemiologic investigations showed that 2 of 4 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) identified in the winter of 2003–2004 were a waitress at a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, that served palm civets as food and a customer who ate in the restaurant a short distance from animal cages. All 6 palm civets at the restaurant were positive for SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Partial spike (S) gene sequences of SARS-CoV from the 2 patients were identical to 4 of 5 S gene viral sequences from palm civets. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SARS-CoV from palm civets in the restaurant was most closely related to animal isolates. SARS cases at the restaurant were the result of recent interspecies transfer from the putative palm civet reservoir, and not the result of continued circulation of SARS-CoV in the human population.
【저자키워드】 coronavirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Research, palm civet, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus, SARS-CoV, China, restaurant, Patient, circulation, S gene, Analysis, isolates, contact with, acute respiratory syndrome, SARS-CoV infection, transfer, positive, palm civet, gene sequence, Partial, related, viral sequence, Civet, Guangzhou, China, palm civets,