World News Dutch scientists confirm cause of SARS

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Only 34 days after the mysterious disease known as SARS was first identified, Dutch researchers have reproduced the disease in monkeys by infecting them with a recently discovered coronavirus.

"We now know with certainty what causes SARS," said Dr. David Heymann, executive director of the World Health Organization's Communicable Diseases programs. "With the establishment of the causative agent, we are one step closer" to developing more effective preventive programs and treatments, he said.

The announcement came April 16 as the disease, formally called severe acute respiratory syndrome, continued its spread through Asia, while China continues to be suspected of underreporting cases. The official total number of deaths has risen to 159.

A team led by Dr. Albert Osterhaus of the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands said they had placed the virus in the noses of monkeys and found that the animals developed symptoms similar to those exhibited by humans with SARS. They then were able to isolate the virus from the monkeys and grow it in laboratory dishes.

In addition to providing the final proof of the virus' role, the experiments also represent a crucial step toward the ultimate development of a SARS vaccine.

SARSは新型コロナウイルス

新型肺炎「重症急性呼吸器症候群」（SARS）の原因は、新種のコロナウイルスと断定された。

Shukan ST: April 25, 2003

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