From SARS and MERS to COVID-19: a brief summary and comparison of severe acute respiratory infections caused by three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses

Respiratory Research

Yiming Zeng¹  Zhixing Zhu¹  Weijing Wu¹  Giuseppe A. Marraro¹  Xiaoshan Su¹  Xihua Lian² 

[1] Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Respirology Medicine Centre of Fujian Province;Department of Ultrasound Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University;

关键词: SARS-CoV;    MERS-CoV;    SARS-CoV-2;    Illness;    Biological features;    Clinical characteristics;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12931-020-01479-w

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Within two decades, there have emerged three highly pathogenic and deadly human coronaviruses, namely SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. The economic burden and health threats caused by these coronaviruses are extremely dreadful and getting more serious as the increasing number of global infections and attributed deaths of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. Unfortunately, specific medical countermeasures for these hCoVs remain absent. Moreover, the fast spread of misinformation about the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic uniquely places the virus alongside an annoying infodemic and causes unnecessary worldwide panic. SARS-CoV-2 shares many similarities with SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, certainly, obvious differences exist as well. Lessons learnt from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, timely updated information of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, and summarized specific knowledge of these hCoVs are extremely invaluable for effectively and efficiently contain the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. By gaining a deeper understanding of hCoVs and the illnesses caused by them, we can bridge knowledge gaps, provide cultural weapons for fighting and controling the spread of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and prepare effective and robust defense lines against hCoVs that may emerge or reemerge in the future. To this end, the state-of-the-art knowledge and comparing the biological features of these lethal hCoVs and the clinical characteristics of illnesses caused by them are systematically summarized in the review.

【 授权许可】

Unknown