MERS-CoV Anticipatory Sentinel Framework: Tiered Rules for Early Detection of Host-Adaptive Evolution

This dataset provides a tiered rulebook for genomic surveillance of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) evolution at the human-animal interface. The framework defines three escalating alert levels that trigger when natural viral isolates approach theoretically permissible fitness boundaries: Tier-1 rules flag co-occurring mutations enhancing receptor engagement and immune evasion. Tier-2 rules detect additive combinations with moderate risk profiles. Tier-3 rules identify silent codon adaptation signatures that signal early-stage host transition (camel → human) months to years before functional amino acid changes emerge. Designed for integration with global sequencing pipelines, this anticipatory framework shifts surveillance from reactive detection to proactive risk assessment. Full rule specifications, including residue coordinates and codon-level thresholds, are restricted to qualified public health and biosecurity researchers under institutional oversight. This ensures defensive utility for pandemic preparedness while preventing misuse. The dataset complements boundary-mapping resources for Spike, nucleocapsid, and accessory proteins ORF4a/4b, enabling coordinated monitoring of MERS-CoV's evolutionary trajectory across structural and immune-modulatory systems.