Coronavirus

Coronavirus

1. Family: Coronaviridae. Structural features: Enveloped virus with + polarity ss-RNA genome. Transmission: Inhalation of infectious aerosol droplets. Clinical symptoms: The 2nd cause of common cold. Coronavirus also causes zoonotic disease

2. MERS-CoV

   • Epidemiology
     • So far, all the cases have been linked to countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. Highly infectious. Incubation period 2-14 days.
   • Transmission
     • This virus spread from ill people to others through close contact. There is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings. Evidence also suggested that the virus can be acquired from direct close contact with animals.
   • Risk group
     • Individuals with weakened immune systems People with pre-existing medical conditions (or comorbidities) such as diabetes, cancer, and chronic lung, heart, and kidney disease.
   • Clinical Features
     • Symptoms may include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some people also had gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and nausea/vomiting. Some infected people had mild symptoms (such as cold-like symptoms) or no symptoms at all and they recovered completely. Most people with comorbidities developed severe acute respiratory illness.
   • Complications
     • Severe complications include pneumonia and kidney failure. About 30% of people infected with MERS died.
   • Lab diagnosis
     • Detection of the viral nucleic acid (NA) by PCR. , Isolation of the virus from NPA by cell culture.

3. SARS-CoV

   • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In winter of 2002, a new respiratory disease known as (SARS) emerged in China after a new mutation of coronavirus. The disease spread worldwide due to travelling. The animal reservoir may be rats or cats. SARS starts with high fever followed by cough with difficulty in breathing (atypical pneumonia). Associated with high mortality due to respiratory failure.