Comparative Epidemiology of Coronavirus Infections in humans and animals

Abstract

Coronavirusesare a group of RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the common cold, which can also be caused by other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses, while more lethal varieties cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), or the current pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In cows and pigs Coronaviruses cause diarrhea like the transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), while in young calves, the Bovine Coronavirus (BCV) causes severe profuse enteritis. In this review we will go over the microbiology of coronaviruses, their classifications and the different infections caused by it in animals and humans