[Bats and humans]

Lakartidningen. 2020 Apr 29:117:F3UA.
[Article in Swedish]

Abstract

Coronavirus (CoV) species are very common among animals, especially bats. The last two decades three large CoV outbreaks have appeared among humans; Severe Adult Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-1) in 2003, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 and SARS-2 in 2019, (COVID19). Also a large epidemic among swine, Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome (SADS) appeared in 2017 in China. There is a pool of coronavirus among bats which have the potential to infect humans through the ACE2 receptor, and new human epidemics can be expected. Therefore it is of great importance to develop new antivirals and vaccines against CoV as well as to improve the global infectious disease control of these infections.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • China
  • Chiroptera*
  • Coronavirus Infections*
  • Humans
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus*
  • Pandemics*
  • Pneumonia, Viral*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Swine
  • Zoonoses