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Description

The etiological agent of SARS is a novel coronavirus, and the virus is thus referred to as the SARS-coronavirus, abbreviated SARS-CoV. The name coronavirus derives from the halo/corona appearance of viral particles when viewed under a microscope, which is a result of the protruding spike proteins that coat the surface of the virus. The enveloped viral particle is 60-130 nm in diameter and contains a single-stranded positive RNA strand. The SARS-CoV genome is nucleotides in length with 41% being G/C residues. Large genome size is characteristic of coronaviruses, which actually exhibit the largest genomes of all RNA viruses.
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Significance in Biodefense Proteomics

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is the first severe and readily transmissible new disease to emerge in the 21st Century. Although much about SARS remains poorly understood, it is clear that this disease has major implications, both for public health and the global economy. SARS constitutes a particularly serious threat as there is no vaccine to date and no effective treatment, forcing health authorities to rely on traditional measures of isolation and quarantine. In addition, current diagnostic tests are limited in reliability, allowing potentially-infected patients to slip through the net of isolation and infection control. The products coming from studies of SARS will ultimately accelerate the development of therapeutics.

from Public Health Image Library (PHIL)