Anuj Mathur1, Mariam Adel Younan2
BACKGROUND
In the present review, three highly pathogenic and deadly human coronaviruses
which have emerged within the last two decades are discussed, namely severe
acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS CoV, and Middle
East respiratory syndrome-CoV (MERS-CoV). SARS-CoV-2 is a highly pathogenic
and transmissible coronavirus type that emerged in the year 2019 and has caused
a worldwide acute respiratory illness, named ‘coronavirus disease 2019’ (COVID-
19), with a high morbidity and mortality. To this end, the present review is based
on summarizing the pathogenesis of human coronaviruses, namely SARS-CoV-2,
SARS CoV, and MERS-CoV. This review provides a comparative evaluation of the
genomic features, origin, transmission, and pathogenicity of these human
coronaviruses. The coronavirus pandemic disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by
SARS-CoV-2 is still ongoing, as a result, this comparative evaluation may inform
and aid in the knowledge of public health administrators and medical experts to
control the pandemic’s progression.
