COVID-19 Outbreak: Pathogenesis, Current Therapies, and Potentials for Future Management

Front Pharmacol. 2020 Oct 16:11:563478. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.563478. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus (CoV) was found at the seafood market of Hubei province in Wuhan, China, and this virus was officially named coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) by World Health Organization (WHO). COVID-19 is mainly characterized by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) and creates public health concerns as well as significant threats to the economy around the world. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is unclear and there is no effective treatment of this newly life-threatening and devastating virus. Therefore, it is crucial to search for alternative methods that alleviate or inhibit the spread of COVID-19. In this review, we try to find out the etiology, epidemiology, symptoms as well as transmissions of this novel virus. We also summarize therapeutic interventions and suggest antiviral treatments, immune-enhancing candidates, general supplements, and CoV specific treatments that control replication and reproduction of SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Keywords: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; coronavirus; coronavirus disease 2019; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; therapeutic interventions; transmission.

Publication types

  • Review