Despite making multiple contacts at home and in the hospital before receiving suitable infection control treatment, the first imported patient with Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in the United States did not transmit the infection, according to recent data published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The patient was a physician and Saudi Arabian resident who traveled by air to Chicago via London, then by bus to Indiana. From there, he stayed with his family for 4 days and interacted twice with a business associate before presenting for medical care at an Indiana hospital. Several healthcare personnel (HCP) came into contact with the patient during this time.

Respiratory and blood samples were collected from all 61 contacts, and tested for MERS-CoV. None tested positive.