The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Review of Taxonomy, Genetics, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Control
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 24 April 2020
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Vol. 9 (4), 1225
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9041225
Abstract
A pneumonia outbreak with unknown etiology was reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in December 2019, associated with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The causative agent of the outbreak was identified by the WHO as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), producing the disease named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The virus is closely related (96.3%) to bat coronavirus RaTG13, based on phylogenetic analysis. Human-to-human transmission has been confirmed even from asymptomatic carriers. The virus has spread to at least 200 countries, and more than 1,700,000 confirmed cases and 111,600 deaths have been recorded, with massive global increases in the number of cases daily. Therefore, the WHO has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The disease is characterized by fever, dry cough, and chest pain with pneumonia in severe cases. In the beginning, the world public health authorities tried to eradicate the disease in China through quarantine but are now transitioning to prevention strategies worldwide to delay its spread. To date, there are no available vaccines or specific therapeutic drugs to treat the virus. There are many knowledge gaps about the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2, leading to misinformation. Therefore, in this review, we provide recent information about the COVID-19 pandemic. This review also provides insights for the control of pathogenic infections in humans such as SARS-CoV-2 infection and future spillovers.Keywords
This publication has 124 references indexed in Scilit:
- Molecular Epidemiology of Human Coronavirus OC43 Reveals Evolution of Different Genotypes over Time and Recent Emergence of a Novel Genotype due to Natural RecombinationJournal of Virology, 2011
- Molecular characterization of a new species in the genus Alphacoronavirus associated with mink epizootic catarrhal gastroenteritisJournal of General Virology, 2011
- Recombinant Canine Coronaviruses in Dogs, EuropeEmerging Infectious Diseases, 2010
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Open Reading Frame (ORF) 3b, ORF 6, and Nucleocapsid Proteins Function as Interferon AntagonistsJournal of Virology, 2007
- Over-expression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3b protein induces both apoptosis and necrosis in Vero E6 cellsVirus Research, 2006
- Adaptive Value of High Mutation Rates of RNA Viruses: Separating Causes from ConsequencesJournal of Virology, 2005
- Testing the hypothesis of a recombinant origin of the SARS-associated coronavirusArchiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 2004
- CULTIVATION OF VIRUSES FROM A HIGH PROPORTION OF PATIENTS WITH COLDSThe Lancet, 1966
- A New Virus Isolated from the Human Respiratory Tract.Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1966
- Cultivation of a Novel Type of Common-cold Virus in Organ CulturesBMJ, 1965