Comparative Review of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and Influenza A Respiratory Viruses

Zeinab Abdelrahman, Mengyuan Li, Xiaosheng Wang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

328 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has caused a global health emergency. The outbreak of this virus has raised a number of questions: What is SARS-CoV-2? How transmissible is SARS-CoV-2? How severely affected are patients infected with SARS-CoV-2? What are the risk factors for viral infection? What are the differences between this novel coronavirus and other coronaviruses? To answer these questions, we performed a comparative study of four pathogenic viruses that primarily attack the respiratory system and may cause death, namely, SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), and influenza A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2 strains). This comparative study provides a critical evaluation of the origin, genomic features, transmission, and pathogenicity of these viruses. Because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is ongoing, this evaluation may inform public health administrators and medical experts to aid in curbing the pandemic's progression.

Original languageEnglish
Article number552909
Number of pages14
JournalFrontiers in Immunology
Volume11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Abdelrahman, Li and Wang.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • influenza A virus
  • MERS-CoV
  • SARS-CoV
  • SARS-CoV-2

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Comparative Review of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and Influenza A Respiratory Viruses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this