目的　探讨严重急性呼吸系统综合征 (SARS)的临床及流行病学特征。方法　收集我院抢救中心留院观察的 2 6例SARS患者的临床资料 ,并对其家庭及小区成员进行调查 ,共总结出 4 6例患者的临床及流行病学特点。结果　在社区医院源患者与后续患者之间有无保护暴露接触 ,后续患者又感染家庭成员。社区内 4 6例后续患者发病时间均在SARS最长潜伏期内 ,故该社区属暴发流行。结论　SARS有极强的传染性 ,有很强的家庭及社区聚集性 ,应引起高度重视 Objective To investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Methods The clinical data of 26 SARS patients hospitalized in our center were collected, and their families and community members were investigated. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 46 patients were summarized. As a result, there was no protective exposure between the source and follow-up patients in community hospitals, and the subsequent patients infect family members again. In the community, the follow-up time of 46 follow-up patients was within the longest incubation period of SARS, so the outbreak was endemic in this community. Conclusion SARS is highly contagious and has strong family and community concentration, which should attract great attention