MERS. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Viral particles (pink) are present on cultured respiratory epithelial cells 24hrs. after infection. 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: x5000 when printed at 10 centimetres wide. Specimen courtesy of Professor Greg Towers and Ziki Zhou, University College London, UK.