Coronaviruses were recognized as a group of enveloped, RNA viruses in 1968 and accepted by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses as a separate family, the Coronaviridae, in 1975. By 1978, it had become evident that the coronavirus genomic RNA was infectious (i. e. , positive strand), and by 1983, at least the framework of the coronavirus replication strategy had been per ceived. Subsequently, with the application of recombinant DNA techniques, there have been remarkable advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of coronaviruses, and a mass of structural data concerning coronavirus genomes, mRNAs, and pro teins now exists. More recently, attention has been focused on the role of essential and accessory gene products in the coronavirus replication cyde and a molecular analysis of the structure-function relation ships of coronavirus proteins. Nevertheless, there are still large gaps in our knowledge, for instance, in areas such as the genesis of coronavirus subgenomic mRNAs or the function of the coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The diseases caused by coronaviruses have been known for much longer than the agents themselves. Possibly the first coronavirus-related disease to be recorded was feline infectious peritonitis, as early as 1912. The diseases associ ated with infectious bronchitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and murine hepatitis virus were all well known before 1950.

The coronaviruses are ssRNA viruses that infect a wide range of mammalian and avian species; they are important causes of respiratory and enteric disease, encephalomyelitis, hepatitis, serositis and vasculitis domestic animals. In humans coronaviruses are one of several groups of viruses that cause the common cold. The genus Coronavirus together with the genus Torovirus from the family Coronaviridae; members of these two genera are similar morphologically. The Coronaviridae, Arteriviridae, and Roniviridae are within the order Nidovirales. Seven coronaviruses are known to infect humans, three of them are serious, namely, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome, China, 2002), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome, Saudi Arabia, 2012), and SARS-CoV-2 (2019-2020). SARS is caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV) which exists in bats and palm civets in Southern China. Its family is Coronaviridae, and its genus is Coronavirus. The most important groups who are at risk are family members in close contact with cases, health-care workers in close contact with cases, elderly and immune compromised individuals appear at increased risk. MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus which can lead to secondary human infections. It is the sixth coronavirus that influences human. MERS-CoV is most likely derived from an ancestral reservoir bats. MERS outbreak was found in the Republic of Korea since 2015. Coronavirus entry is initiated by the binding of the spike protein (S) to cell receptors, specifically, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DDP4) and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, respectively. The genome sequence analysis has shown that SARS-CoV-2 belongs to betacoronavirus genus, which includes Bat SARS-like coronavirus, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. On the basis of nucleic acid sequence similarity, the newly identified 2019-nCoV is a betacoronavirus. The RBD portion of the SARS-CoV-2 pike proteins has evolved to effectively target a molecular feature on the outside of human cells called ACE2, a receptor involved in regulating blood pressure. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was found so effective at binding the human cells. In SARS-CoV-2, M protein is responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrient, the bud release and the formation of envelope, S protein, attaching to hose receptor ACE2, including two subunits S1 and S2. These diseases can be considered important models for emerging infectious diseases as it emerged from natural animal reservoirs. Early recognition, prompt isolation and appropriate supportive therapy are the main parameters in combating with these deadly infections.

Pathogenic Coronaviruses of Humans and Animals: SARS, MERS, COVID-19, and Animal Coronaviruses with Zoonotic Potential provides relevant information about common human coronaviruses that may mutate to increase their virulence. The addition of animal coronaviruses allows awareness of not only the potential of zoonotic transmission of coronaviruses from wild animals such as bats and rodents, but also from domestic agricultural and companion animals. The book opens with an introductory chapter on viruses, the immune system, coronaviruses, and their classifications, prevention and protection. Sections also cover history, disease, causative virus, immune response, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and surveillance. The book's remaining chapters discuss coronaviruses with possible zoonotic transmission of domestic, semi-domestic animals and companion animals. It concludes with future perspectives of coronavirus mutations, modeling, protective measures and a discussion around pandemics and infectious diseases from around the globe. Covers SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 as well as coronaviruses with possible zoonotic transmission of domestic, semi-domestic animals and companion animals Complements previous studies by bringing together information that compares human and animal coronaviruses Includes a glossary and coronavirus disease overviews of humans and animals

Scientific literature on SARS-COV-2 viruses and its variants (especially variants of concern such as the ‘Delta variant’) and important cellular targets is crucial to help researchers, virologists and clinicians around the globe to develop a new generation of safer and more effective vaccines, and other treatments to address COVID-19 disease. The accompanying damage to the many organs and tissues of SARS-Co-2-infected people also needs to be understood and researchers are using data to devise meaningful protocols for treating these symptoms. This second volume of Coronaviruses brings together more useful information about the prevention/vaccination, and chemotherapies for the potential treatment of coronavirus infections. The volume includes eight chapters: (1) Broad spectrum antivirals to combat COVID-19 The reality and challenges, (2) COVID-19: Preventive and protective control management strategies, (3) Plant-derived extracts and bioactive compounds against coronavirus progression: preventive effects, mechanistic aspects, and structures, (4) Gastroenteritis: symptoms and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, (5) The chronicles of coronavirus: A Chinese king who conquered the entire world, (6) Traditional medicine as a natural remedy in ARDS & COVID-19, (7) Molecular pathogenesis of human coronaviruses of the 21st century, (8) COVID-19, mental health and neuropathophysiology of pain related to temporomandibular disorder. The volume serves as a novel compilation of key data on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and represents a resource of the utmost value for all scholars studying SARS-CoV infections. It should also be of great interest to clinicians who may be facing an overwhelming number of individuals affected with COVID-19, with over 267 million global cases documented as of the first week of December 2021).

This book discusses current evidence on human viruses and provides an extensive coverage of newly emerged viruses and current strategies for treatment. Offering a new perspective in view of the re-emergence of Ebola in African countries and Dengue in India and Pakistan, the contents include chapters on emergence, pathogenicity, epidemiology and vaccine uptake. Human Viruses: Diseases, Treatments and Vaccines: The New Insights discusses a range of viruses from the most common such as Influenza and Hepatitis to Zika, Poliomyelitis and Chikungunya among many others. It is authored by a team of experts on viral disease and will be of immense use to virologists, public health experts and clinicians.

The basis for the effective treatment and cure of a patient is the rapid diagnosis of the disease and its causative agent, which is based on the analysis of the clinical symptoms coupled with laboratory tests. Although rapid advance ments have been made in the laboratory diagnosis of virus diseases, the neces sary isolation of the causative virus from the clinical specimens is a relatively long procedure. Viruses which integrate into the cellular DNA (such as human immunodeficiency virus, HIV -1, or hepatitis B virus) are difficult to identify by molecular techniques, while viruses which exist in the clinical material in low concentrations are even more formidable to identify. Recently, the application of the polymerase chain reaction (peR) technique developed by K. D. Mullis and detailed in the study by Saiki et al. (1985) led to a revolution in virus diagnosis. The peR technique was rapidly applied to the diagnosis of viruses in clinical material. Volume 1 of Frontiers of Virology provides new information on the advan tages of the use of the peR for the diagnosis of many human disease-causing viruses, as well as on some problems with its use.