Clinical and molecular aspects of veterinary coronaviruses

• Published in: Virus research Vol. 297; p. 198382
• Main Authors: Colina, Santiago Emanuel, Serena, María Soledad, Echeverría, María Gabriela, Metz, Germán Ernesto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-05-2021
• Subjects: Animals; Clinical signs; Coronavirus - chemistry; Coronavirus - genetics; Coronavirus - physiology; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronavirus Infections - veterinary; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; Genome, Viral; Host Specificity; Humans; One health; Open Reading Frames; ORFs; Review; RNA, Viral; Veterinary medicine; Viral Proteins; Viral Structures; Viral Transcription; Viral Zoonoses - transmission; Viral Zoonoses - virology; Virus Assembly; Virus Replication; One health; Coronaviruses; Veterinary medicine; ORFs; Clinical signs
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198382

•Cross-species transmission is common in the family Coronaviridae.•Their particular replication mechanism favors the generation of new viral variants.•Molecular distinctive features in a viral genus are associated with pathogenesis.•Common coronavirus clinical signs must be recognized by veterinarians.•Diagnosis of animal coronavirus disease can help promote public health.
Coronaviruses are a large group of RNA viruses that infect a wide range of animal species. The replication strategy of coronaviruses involves recombination and mutation events that lead to the possibility of cross-species transmission. The high plasticity of the viral receptor due to a continuous modification of the host species habitat may be the cause of cross-species transmission that can turn into a threat to other species including the human population. The successive emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in 2012, and the recent SARS-CoV-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 of animal habitats by human urbanization, has favored new viral spreads. Hence, knowledge on the main clinical signs 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 routinely studied in veterinary medicine must be properly recognized and diagnosed not only to prevent animal disease but also to promote public health.