Coronavirus (continued)
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science
Table 2 - Highly pathogenic human coronaviruses that cause severe illness (pneumonia)
SARS-CoV-1 MERS-CoV SARS-CoV-2
Year isolated 2003 2012 2019
Classification Betacoronavirus Betacoronavirus Betacoronavirus
Receptor Angiotensin-converting
enzyme 2 (ACE-2)
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4
(DPP4) [also known as CD26]
Angiotensin-converting
enzyme 2 (ACE-2)
Alternative receptor(s)? Dendritic cell-specific
ICAM-3-grabbing non-integrin
(DC-SIGN); DC-SIGN-related
protein (DC-SIGNR); liver and
lymph node sinusoidal
endothelial cell C-type lectin
(LSECtin)
? ?
Incubation period 2–14 days (mean: 5 days) 2–14 days (mean: 4–5 days) 2–14 days (mean: 5–7 days);
possibly up to 20 days
Mode of transmission Respiratory droplets,
contaminated fomites,
oral-fecal?
Respiratory droplets,
contaminated fomites
Respiratory droplets,
airborne, contaminated
fomites, efficient human-to-
human community spread,
oral-fecal?
Mortality rate 10% 34% About 3.5%
Disease symptoms Fever, myalgia, headache,
malaise, dry cough, dyspnea
(shortness of breath), respira-
tory distress, and diarrhea
Fever, cough, chills, sore
throat, myalgia, arthralgia,
dyspnea (shortness of breath),
pneumonia, diarrhea, vomiting,
and acute kidney failure
Fever, dry cough, dyspnea
(shortness of breath), diarrhea,
respiratory distress, conjuncti-
vitis, loss of taste and smell, and
acute kidney failure (elderly
high risk)
Epidemiology 2002–2003 in China;
pandemic spread
2012 in Middle East; 2015 in
South Korea; endemic in the
Middle East
2019–2020 in China;
pandemic spread
Reservoir (primary host) Bats (Rhinolophus) Bats (Taphozous,
Rhinopoma, and Pipistrellus)
Bats (Rhinolophus)
Intermediate host Masked civet cats, raccoon
dogs, and ferret badgers
(frequently sold as food sources
at live markets in China)
Dromedary camels Malayan pangolin?
