INTRODUCTION
deaths, MERS
MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME
The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and as of January 2023, it has caused 2603 cases and 935 associated deaths.Type I interferons (IFNs) are essential antiviral cytokines induced upon human exposure to respiratory viruses such as MERS‐CoV.In this study, we evaluated the presence of type I IFN auto‐Abs, including IFN‐α2, β, and/or IFN‐ω in hospitalized patients with MERS; examined their association with mortality and other clinical outcomes; and evaluated whether the presence of type I IFN auto‐Abs affected the response to treatment with IFN beta‐1b and lopinavir‐ritonavir.