Recently Discovered Human Coronaviruses

Abstract

In marked contrast to their historical classification as relatively harmless, common cold-causing, respiratory pathogens, human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are associated with more severe clinical complications, as emphasized by the discovery of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated CoV (SARS-CoV) in 2003. Still, their precise pathogenic potential is largely unknown, particularly regarding the most recently identified strains HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1, and definite proof for their etiology remains a major challenge. This article focuses on the characteristics of the five HCoVs that are known, and summarizes current knowledge of their pathogenic potential in people, with an emphasis on the interactions between these viruses and their cognate receptors on susceptible target cells.

SARS coronavirus pathogenesis: host innate immune responses and viral antagonism of interferon

“…While SARS-CoV was a novel virus not previously recognized before the 2002 outbreak, other coronaviruses have been associated with disease in humans. Coronaviruses known to infect humans include HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63, which also cause respiratory infections but are generally much less severe than SARS [92]. (b) Transcription and subsequent signaling of Interferon is vital for activating the antiviral response in host cells.…”

Recent Progress in Studies of Arterivirus- and Coronavirus-Host Interactions

“…Nidoviruses such as avian infectious bronchitis coronavirus (IBV), human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E), equine arteritis virus (EAV) and the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome arterivirus (PRRSV) are important pathogens of both human and animals [2,3,4], and are commonly associated with mild respiratory and enteric diseases, although they are also known to cause more critical lower respiratory tract illness, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) epidemic that occurred in 2003 [5]. …”

Epidemiology, Genetic Recombination, and Pathogenesis of Coronaviruses

“…In humans, CoV infections primarily involve the upper respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract, and vary from mild, self-limiting disease, such as the common cold, to more severe manifestations, such as bronchitis and pneumonia with renal involvement [15]. The first human coronavirus (HCoV) was isolated during 1965 from the nasal discharge of patients with the common cold and termed B814 [16].…”