SARS coronavirus 2: from genome to infectome

• Published in: Respiratory research 2020-12, Vol.21 (1), p.318-15, Article 318
• Main Authors: Rastogi, Meghana, Pandey, Neha, Shukla, Astha, Singh, Sunit K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACE2 receptors; Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); Animals; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Coronaviridae; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - drug therapy; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - therapy; COVID-19 - transmission; COVID-19 - virology; COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use; Cytokine storm; Cytokines; Distribution; Etiology; Genetic aspects; Genome, Viral; Genomes; Health aspects; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Host-virus relationships; Humans; Identification and classification; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Mortality; Organs; Prognosis; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory distress syndrome; Respiratory tract; Review; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sneezing; Spike glycoprotein; Structure; Viral diseases; Viral Zoonoses; Viruses
• ISSN: 1465-993X; 1465-9921; 1465-993X; 1465-9921
• DOI: 10.1186/s12931-020-01581-z

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the group of Betacoronaviruses. The SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to SARS-CoV-1 and probably originated either from bats or pangolins. SARS-CoV-2 is an etiological agent of COVID-19, causing mild to severe respiratory disease which escalates to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or multi-organ failure. The virus was first reported from the animal market in Hunan, Hubei province of China in the month of December, 2019, and was rapidly transmitted from animal to human and human-to-human. The human-to-human transmission can occur directly or via droplets generated during coughing and sneezing. Globally, around 53.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered with 1.31 million confirmed deaths. The people > 60 years, persons suffering from comorbid conditions and immunocompromised individuals are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection. The virus primarily targets the upper and the lower respiratory tract and quickly disseminates to other organs. SARS-CoV-2 dysregulates immune signaling pathways which generate cytokine storm and leads to the acute respiratory distress syndrome and other multisystemic disorders.