SARS-CoV-2: origin, structure, replication and pathogenesis

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness with multiple clinical manifestations, ranging from a simple cold to mild, moderate or severe pneumonia, or even sepsis, septic shock and death. It allegedly started in a live animal market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. Its etiological agent is the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), by direct or indirect zoonotic transmission from bats. This is the third disease in humans caused by a highly pathogenic coronavirus during the 21st century. The first two were Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. This essay describes the current knowledge about SARS-CoV-2's origin, structure and pathogenesis, as well as the tissue damage it causes in infected patients.