Epidemiology, Genetic Recombination, and Pathogenesis of Coronaviruses

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Abstract

Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were first described in the 1960s for patients with the common cold. Since then, more HCoVs have been discovered, including those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), two pathogens that, upon infection, can cause fatal respiratory disease in humans. It was recently discovered that dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia harbor three different HCoV species, including a dominant MERS HCoV lineage that was responsible for the outbreaks in the Middle East and South Korea during 2015. In this review we aim to compare and contrast the different HCoVs with regard to epidemiology and pathogenesis, in addition to the virus evolution and recombination events which have, on occasion, resulted in outbreaks amongst humans.

Trends

Six coronaviruses (CoVs) are known to infect humans: 229E, OC43, SARS-CoV, NL63, HKU1, and MERS-CoV.

Many CoVs are simultaneously maintained in nature, allowing for genetic recombination, resulting in novel viruses.

Recombination of CoV in camels has resulted in a dominant MERS lineage that caused human outbreaks in 2015.

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Most cited references 57

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Isolation of a novel coronavirus from a man with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia.

Theo M. Bestebroer, Albert Osterhaus, Sander van Boheemen … (2012)

A previously unknown coronavirus was isolated from the sputum of a 60-year-old man who presented with acute pneumonia and subsequent renal failure with a fatal outcome in Saudi Arabia. The virus (called HCoV-EMC) replicated readily in cell culture, producing cytopathic effects of rounding, detachment, and syncytium formation. The virus represents a novel betacoronavirus species. The closest known relatives are bat coronaviruses HKU4 and HKU5. Here, the clinical data, virus isolation, and molecular identification are presented. The clinical picture was remarkably similar to that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and reminds us that animal coronaviruses can cause severe disease in humans.

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Isolation and characterization of viruses related to the SARS coronavirus from animals in southern China.

Y Guan (2003)

A novel coronavirus (SCoV) is the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SCoV-like viruses were isolated from Himalayan palm civets found in a live-animal market in Guangdong, China. Evidence of virus infection was also detected in other animals (including a raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides) and in humans working at the same market. All the animal isolates retain a 29-nucleotide sequence that is not found in most human isolates. The detection of SCoV-like viruses in small, live wild mammals in a retail market indicates a route of interspecies transmission, although the natural reservoir is not known.

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Epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics of 47 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease from Saudi Arabia: a descriptive study

Abdullah Assiri, Jaffar Al-Tawfiq, Abdullah A Al-Rabeeah … (2013)

Summary Background Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a new human disease caused by a novel coronavirus (CoV). Clinical data on MERS-CoV infections are scarce. We report epidemiological, demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of 47 cases of MERS-CoV infections, identify knowledge gaps, and define research priorities. Methods We abstracted and analysed epidemiological, demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from confirmed cases of sporadic, household, community, and health-care-associated MERS-CoV infections reported from Saudi Arabia between Sept 1, 2012, and June 15, 2013. Cases were confirmed as having MERS-CoV by real-time RT-PCR. Findings 47 individuals (46 adults, one child) with laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV disease were identified; 36 (77%) were male (male:female ratio 3·3:1). 28 patients died, a 60% case-fatality rate. The case-fatality rate rose with increasing age. Only two of the 47 cases were previously healthy; most patients (45 [96%]) had underlying comorbid medical disorders, including diabetes (32 [68%]), hypertension (16 [34%]), chronic cardiac disease (13 [28%]), and chronic renal disease (23 [49%]). Common symptoms at presentation were fever (46 [98%]), fever with chills or rigors (41 [87%]), cough (39 [83%]), shortness of breath (34 [72%]), and myalgia (15 [32%]). Gastrointestinal symptoms were also frequent, including diarrhoea (12 [26%]), vomiting (ten [21%]), and abdominal pain (eight [17%]). All patients had abnormal findings on chest radiography, ranging from subtle to extensive unilateral and bilateral abnormalities. Laboratory analyses showed raised concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase (23 [49%]) and aspartate aminotransferase (seven [15%]) and thrombocytopenia (17 [36%]) and lymphopenia (16 [34%]). Interpretation Disease caused by MERS-CoV presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations and is associated with substantial mortality in admitted patients who have medical comorbidities. Major gaps in our knowledge of the epidemiology, community prevalence, and clinical spectrum of infection and disease need urgent definition. Funding None.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Shuo Su

Yuhai Bi

George F. Gao

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Trends Microbiol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Trends Microbiol

Title: Trends in Microbiology

Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.

ISSN (Print): 0966-842X

ISSN (Electronic): 1878-4380

Publication date PMC-release: 21 March 2016

Publication date (Print): June 2016

Publication date (Electronic): 21 March 2016

Volume: 24

Issue: 6

Pages: 490-502

Affiliations

[1 ]Engineering Laboratory of Animal Immunity of Jiangsu Province, Institute of immunology and College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China

[2 ]Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China

[3 ]CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

[4 ]CAS Center for Influenza Research and Early-Warning (CASCIRE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

[5 ]Institute of Pathogen Biology, Taishan Medical College, Taian, China

[6 ]National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, China

[7 ]Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky, USA

[8 ]Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

[9 ]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Medical School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: shuosu@ 123456njau.edu.cn beeyh@ 123456im.ac.cn gaof@ 123456im.ac.cn

Article

Publisher ID: S0966-842X(16)00071-8

DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2016.03.003

PMC ID: 7125511

PubMed ID: 27012512

SO-VID: f9c4c833-0ac3-4828-b0ae-dbb1fbe91a41

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Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

Epidemiology, Genetic Recombination, and Pathogenesis of Coronaviruses

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Microbiology Society: Coronaviruses

Most cited references 57

Isolation of a novel coronavirus from a man with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia.

Isolation and characterization of viruses related to the SARS coronavirus from animals in southern China.

Epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics of 47 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease from Saudi Arabia: a descriptive study

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