Farrag Mohamed A, Hamed Maaweya E, Amer Haitham M, Almajhdi Fahad N
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455QA6, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Arch Virol. 2019 Aug;164(8):1981-1996. doi: 10.1007/s00705-019-04300-2. Epub 2019 May 28.
Acute lower respiratory tract infection is a major health problem that affects more than 15% of the total population of Saudi Arabia each year. Epidemiological studies conducted over the last three decades have indicated that viruses are responsible for the majority of these infections. The epidemiology of respiratory viruses in Saudi Arabia is proposed to be affected mainly by the presence and mobility of large numbers of foreign workers and the gathering of millions of Muslims in Mecca during the Hajj and Umrah seasons. Knowledge concerning the epidemiology, circulation pattern, and evolutionary kinetics of respiratory viruses in Saudi Arabia are scant, with the available literature being inconsistent. This review summarizes the available data on the epidemiology and evolution of respiratory viruses. The demographic features associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus infections are specifically analyzed for a better understanding of the epidemiology of this virus. The data support the view that continuous entry and exit of pilgrims and foreign workers with different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds in Saudi Arabia is the most likely vehicle for global dissemination of respiratory viruses and for the emergence of new viruses (or virus variants) capable of greater dissemination.
急性下呼吸道感染是一个重大的健康问题，每年影响沙特阿拉伯超过15%的总人口。过去三十年进行的流行病学研究表明，病毒是这些感染的主要原因。沙特阿拉伯呼吸道病毒的流行病学被认为主要受大量外国工人的存在和流动以及朝觐和副朝季节数百万穆斯林在麦加聚集的影响。关于沙特阿拉伯呼吸道病毒的流行病学、传播模式和进化动力学的知识很少，现有文献也不一致。本综述总结了呼吸道病毒流行病学和进化的现有数据。特别分析了与中东呼吸综合征相关冠状病毒感染相关的人口统计学特征，以便更好地了解该病毒的流行病学。数据支持这样一种观点，即不同种族和社会经济背景的朝圣者和外国工人在沙特阿拉伯的持续进出是呼吸道病毒全球传播以及能够更大范围传播的新病毒（或病毒变种）出现的最可能媒介。
