London1_novel CoV/2012

London1_novel CoV/2012
Virus classification
(unranked):	Virus
Realm:	Riboviria
Kingdom:	Orthornavirae
Phylum:	Pisuviricota
Class:	Pisoniviricetes
Order:	Nidovirales
Family:	Coronaviridae
Genus:	Betacoronavirus
Subgenus:	Merbecovirus
Species:	Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus
Strain:	London1_novel CoV/2012

London1_novel CoV/2012 is a coronavirus strain isolated from a Qatari man in London in 2012 who was one of the first patients to come down with what has since been named Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The Qatari patient had traveled to Saudi Arabia from Qatar. He returned to Qatar, but when he fell ill, he traveled to London for treatment. The United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency (HPA) named the virus.^[1]

Virology

Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that London1 is a Betacoronavirus with a close relationship to Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 and Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5. It was found that the virus nucleic acid fragment identified in the isolate from the Qatari-London patient is derived from a coronavirus that was distinct from all coronaviruses previously identified.^[2]

^ Roos, Robert (September 25, 2012). "UK agency picks name for new coronavirus isolate". Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
^ European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) - Surveillance and Communication Unit; Chand, MA; Brown, CS; Aarons, E; Tong, C; Langrish, C; Hoschler, K; Brown, K; Galiano, M; Myers, R; Pebody; Green, HK; Boddington, NL; Gopal, R; Price, N; Newsholme, W; Drosten, C; Fouchier, RA; Zambon, M (2012). "Severe respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, in a patient transferred to the United Kingdom from the Middle East, September 2012". Euro Surveillance. 17 (40): 20290. PMID 23078800.