Open AccessCOVID-19, MERS and SARS; Understanding Similarities and Differences
Author(s) -
Kinza Waqar,
Maham Zahid
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
life and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2708-2970
pISSN - 2521-0475
DOI - 10.37185/lns.1.1.139
Subject(s) - middle east respiratory syndrome , virology , covid-19 , middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus , virus , infectivity , coronavirus , sars virus , social distance , pandemic , biology , betacoronavirus , pathogenesis , corona (planetary geology) , disease , immunology , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak , pathology , astrobiology , venus
Sever acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARS-CoV) , Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are members of the corona virus family that have been implicated for epidemics and deaths globally. These viruses have similar structural features and pathogenesis, yet are different in terms of genome sequence, coat protein and infectivity. There are no proven treatments or vaccines for previous epidemics caused by MERS COV and SARS CoV and the infection spread by SARS COV-2 has been more pronounced as compared to the other two. So far, the spread of SARS CoV 2 can be prevented by social distancing and treated with supportive therapies. This article reviews the three corona viruses and draws comparison between their features to better understand the disease process.