SARS-CoV-2 and Coronavirus Disease 2019: What We Know So Far

Overview

Journal Pathogens

Date 2020 Apr 5

PMID 32245083

Citations 312

Authors

Firas A Rabi

Mazhar S Al Zoubi

Ghena A Kasasbeh

Dunia M Salameh

Amjad D Al-Nasser

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In December 2019, a cluster of fatal pneumonia cases presented in Wuhan, China. They were caused by a previously unknown coronavirus. All patients had been associated with the Wuhan Wholefood market, where seafood and live animals are sold. The virus spread rapidly and public health authorities in China initiated a containment effort. However, by that time, travelers had carried the virus to many countries, sparking memories of the previous coronavirus epidemics, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and causing widespread media attention and panic. Based on clinical criteria and available serological and molecular information, the new disease was called coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), and the novel coronavirus was called SARS Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), emphasizing its close relationship to the 2002 SARS virus (SARS-CoV). The scientific community raced to uncover the origin of the virus, understand the pathogenesis of the disease, develop treatment options, define the risk factors, and work on vaccine development. Here we present a summary of current knowledge regarding the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes.

Citing Articles

Animal Models for Human-Pathogenic Coronavirus and Animal Coronavirus Research.

Xiao F, Hu J, Xu M, Wang D, Shen X, Zhang H Viruses. 2025; 17(1).

PMID: 39861889 PMC: 11768759. DOI: 10.3390/v17010100.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Burns: A Brazilian Study.

Moura C, Bittencourt M, Cazumba M, Buda A, Bowder A, Corlew D Eur Burn J. 2024; 4(1):1-8.

PMID: 39599965 PMC: 11571859. DOI: 10.3390/ebj4010001.

Sociodemographic, Clinical, and Ventilatory Factors Influencing COVID-19 Mortality in the ICU of a Hospital in Colombia.

Perlaza C, Cruz Mosquera F, Moreno Reyes S, Tovar Salazar S, Cruz Rojas A, Espana Serna J Healthcare (Basel). 2024; 12(22).

PMID: 39595491 PMC: 11593780. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12222294.

Gene expression profiles of precursor cells identify compounds that reduce NRP1 surface expression in macrophages: Implication for drug repositioning for COVID-19.

Iwata A, Chelvanambi S, Asano T, Whelan M, Nakamura Y, Aikawa E Front Cardiovasc Med. 2024; 11:1438396.

PMID: 39512370 PMC: 11541348. DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1438396.

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal/stem cell-based therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome: current progress, challenges, and future frontiers.

Sababathy M, Ramanathan G, Ganesan S, Sababathy S, Yasmin A, Ramasamy R Braz J Med Biol Res. 2024; 57:e13219.

PMID: 39417447 PMC: 11484355. DOI: 10.1590/1414-431X2024e13219.

References

Ramsey M, Nuttall J, Hart P . A phase 1/2 trial to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of NI-03 in patients with chronic pancreatitis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial on the assessment of camostat treatment in chronic pancreatitis (TACTIC). Trials. 2019; 20(1):501. PMC: 6694471. DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-3606-y. View

Wang M, Cao R, Zhang L, Yang X, Liu J, Xu M . Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Cell Res. 2020; 30(3):269-271. PMC: 7054408. DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-0282-0. View

Chu C, Cheng V, Hung I, Wong M, Chan K, Chan K . Role of lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of SARS: initial virological and clinical findings. Thorax. 2004; 59(3):252-6. PMC: 1746980. DOI: 10.1136/thorax.2003.012658. View

Glowacka I, Bertram S, Muller M, Allen P, Soilleux E, Pfefferle S . Evidence that TMPRSS2 activates the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein for membrane fusion and reduces viral control by the humoral immune response. J Virol. 2011; 85(9):4122-34. PMC: 3126222. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02232-10. View

Zou L, Ruan F, Huang M, Liang L, Huang H, Hong Z . SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Upper Respiratory Specimens of Infected Patients. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382(12):1177-1179. PMC: 7121626. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2001737. View

Guerra F, Bolotin S, Lim G, Heffernan J, Deeks S, Li Y . The basic reproduction number (R) of measles: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017; 17(12):e420-e428. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30307-9. View

Wax R, Christian M . Practical recommendations for critical care and anesthesiology teams caring for novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients. Can J Anaesth. 2020; 67(5):568-576. PMC: 7091420. DOI: 10.1007/s12630-020-01591-x. View

Arbabi-Ghahroudi M . Camelid Single-Domain Antibodies: Historical Perspective and Future Outlook. Front Immunol. 2017; 8:1589. PMC: 5701970. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01589. View

Rothe C, Schunk M, Sothmann P, Bretzel G, Froeschl G, Wallrauch C . Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382(10):970-971. PMC: 7120970. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2001468. View

10.

Backer J, Klinkenberg D, Wallinga J . Incubation period of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections among travellers from Wuhan, China, 20-28 January 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020; 25(5). PMC: 7014672. DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.5.2000062. View

11.

Zhou P, Yang X, Wang X, Hu B, Zhang L, Zhang W . A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature. 2020; 579(7798):270-273. PMC: 7095418. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7. View

12.

Wrapp D, Wang N, Corbett K, Goldsmith J, Hsieh C, Abiona O . Cryo-EM structure of the 2019-nCoV spike in the prefusion conformation. Science. 2020; 367(6483):1260-1263. PMC: 7164637. DOI: 10.1126/science.abb2507. View

13.

Moore M, Dorfman T, Li W, Wong S, Li Y, Kuhn J . Retroviruses pseudotyped with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein efficiently infect cells expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. J Virol. 2004; 78(19):10628-35. PMC: 516384. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.19.10628-10635.2004. View

14.

Lipsitch M, Swerdlow D, Finelli L . Defining the Epidemiology of Covid-19 - Studies Needed. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382(13):1194-1196. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2002125. View

15.

Ksiazek T, Erdman D, Goldsmith C, Zaki S, Peret T, Emery S . A novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348(20):1953-66. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa030781. View

16.

Heurich A, Hofmann-Winkler H, Gierer S, Liepold T, Jahn O, Pohlmann S . TMPRSS2 and ADAM17 cleave ACE2 differentially and only proteolysis by TMPRSS2 augments entry driven by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein. J Virol. 2013; 88(2):1293-307. PMC: 3911672. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02202-13. View

17.

Marangi L, Mirinaviciute G, Flem E, Scalia Tomba G, Guzzetta G, Freiesleben De Blasio B . The natural history of varicella zoster virus infection in Norway: Further insights on exogenous boosting and progressive immunity to herpes zoster. PLoS One. 2017; 12(5):e0176845. PMC: 5436649. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176845. View

18.

Liu S, Zhang M, Yang L, Li Y, Wang L, Huang Z . Prevalence and patterns of tobacco smoking among Chinese adult men and women: findings of the 2010 national smoking survey. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2016; 71(2):154-161. PMC: 5284482. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2016-207805. View

19.

Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, Wang X, Zhou L, Tong Y . Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382(13):1199-1207. PMC: 7121484. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. View

20.

Delamater P, Street E, Leslie T, Yang Y, Jacobsen K . Complexity of the Basic Reproduction Number (R). Emerg Infect Dis. 2018; 25(1):1-4. PMC: 6302597. DOI: 10.3201/eid2501.171901. View