Virology and Diseases Control

Corona virus

Coronaviruses consist a large family of viruses that cause respiratory and intestinal infections in animals and humans, including the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and SARS. SARS first appeared in Guangdong territory, China, causing the 2002–2003 epidemic. The virus spread rapidly among humans, affecting ~8,000 individuals in more than 30 countries and causing the death of ~800 patients. both SARS and MERS coronaviruses likely originated in bats and have been transmitted directly to humans from dromedary camels market civets.

Since mid-December 2019, there are several cases of a pneumonia-like disease (with symptoms including fever, difficulty in breathing, cough and invasive lesions on both lungs) of unknown cause have emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan (WHO). Chinese authorities made a preliminary determination that the causative agent is a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and other respiratory pathogens have been ruled out as the cause (WHO). A consortium of researchers, government agencies and institutes released six sequences of the coronavirus associated with the outbreak in Wuhan on virological.org and on Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the new virus clusters with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronavirus clade, and the virus has since been isolated.