Coronavirus: Broad-Spectrum Anti-viral Targets and Treatments

Download or read book Coronavirus: Broad-Spectrum Anti-viral Targets and Treatments written by and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-05-25 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coronaviruses are zoonoses viruses that belong to the Coronaviridae family of the Nidovirales order. Coronaviruses contain 4 genera: α, β, γ and δ. Among these, Alpha and Beta coronaviruses pose a major health threat to humans and other mammals. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) epidemic led to 8,000 people infected with a fatality of ~10% in 2002 and 2003. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has infected more than 1,700 people, with a higher death rate of up to 35% since 2012. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic ravaged the globe from the end of 2019 till now, causing catastrophic health consequences. More than 521 million cases and more than 6 million deaths have been confirmed globally. And the variants of SARS-CoV-2 were conformed to escape the vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies and immune system, causing break-through infection, and posing long-term threats. SARS-CoV-2 is constantly evolving into new variants, creating global epidemic waves. Broad-spectrum antiviral targets or treatments are also urgently needed in the event of novel coronavirus cross-species transmission in the future. It is necessary to address new vaccine designs, pan drugs and antibodies, and universal mechanisms during viral infection.