Clinical and molecular aspects of veterinary coronaviruses

COLINA S; SERENA M. S; ECHEVERRÍA M. G.; METZ G

VIRUS RESEARCH

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021 vol. 297 p. 1 - 15

0168-1702

Coronaviruses are a large group of RNA viruses that infect a wide range of animal species. The replicationstrategy of coronaviruses involves recombination and mutation events that lead to the possibility of cross-speciestransmission. The high plasticity of the viral receptor due to a continuous modification of the host species habitatmay be the cause of cross-species transmission that can turn into a threat to other species including the humanpopulation. The successive emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses such as the Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome (SARS) in 2003, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in 2012, and the recent SARSCoV-2 has incentivized a number of studies on the molecular basis of the coronavirus and its pathogenesis.The high degree of interrelatedness between humans and wild and domestic animals and the modification ofanimal habitats by human urbanization, has favored new viral spreads. Hence, knowledge on the main clinicalsigns of coronavirus infection in the different hosts and the distinctive molecular characteristics of each coronavirus is essential to prevent the emergence of new coronavirus diseases. The coronavirus infections routinelystudied in veterinary medicine must be properly recognized and diagnosed not only to prevent animal disease butalso to promote public health.