MERS. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Viral particles (red) are present on cultured respiratory epithelial cells 24hrs. after infection. This cell is undergoing necrotic cell death characterised by numerour holes in the cell membrane. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus called Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The virus can spread from camels to people through direct physical contact. Limited human-to-human transmission is possible. MERS has caused severe respiratory disease in most diagnosed cases, and many of those patients died. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Mag: x4000 when printed at 10 centimetres wide. Specimen courtesy of Professor Greg Towers and Ziki Zhou, University College London, UK.