Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia about a year ago. The disease is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. In general, a coronavirus is an enveloped virus with a positive RNA genome and a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry. Typically, human coronaviruses are known to cause upper respiratory infections. Although there is no treatment yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently studying the development of a vaccine. Some symptoms of this respiratory infection include fever, cough, kidney failure, pneumonia and shortness of breath. Unfortunately, approximately half of known cases of MERS worldwide have resulted in death. Research has indicated that the virus spreads through the air via respiratory droplets, making doctors extremely vulnerable. As the disease spreads, scientists and experts fear the virus could mutate and become more transmissible. Recently, scientific researchers confirmed the presence of the MERS coronavirus in a camel, which belonged to a Saudi man who was also sick with the new virus. This discovery proved crucial as it now provides essential evidence on animal hosts and transmission of the virus. Primarily, the discovery adds credibility to the common theory that the virus originated in bats and generally spread to humans via camels. Indeed, in most previous cases of MERS, the first patient to become ill had been in contact with a sick, infected camel. The virus usually spreads gradually from person to person after first appearing in a community, but medical experts have been baffled as to the original origin of the virus...... middle of article.. ....e genetic composition of MERS The virus must be evaluated to determine the method of replication and transmission of the disease. Simply put, viruses are packages of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. To replicate, viruses rely on the processes of transcription (DNA to RNA) and translation (mRNA to protein). Since viruses cannot self-reproduce, they must infect a host cell to replicate. Ultimately, viruses infect cells either by entering the host cell or by injecting its DNA or RNA directly into the cell. Thus, in order to limit the spread of the disease and develop a vaccination, biologists and disease experts must determine the genetic sequence and infection cycle of the MERS coronavirus. Overall, the scientific relevance of the MERS epidemic is clear and scientific research is needed to decode this esoteric disease..