Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a coronavirus (CoV), SARSCoV. SARS-CoV belongs to the family Coronaviridae, which are enveloped RNA viruses in the order Nidovirales. Global research efforts are continuing to increase the understanding of the virus, the pathogenesis of the disease it causes (SARS), and the "heterogeneity of individual infectiousness" as well as shedding light on how to prepare for other emerging viral diseases. Promising drugs and vaccines have been identified. The milestones achieved have resulted from a truly international effort. Molecular studies dissected the adaptation of this virus as it jumped from an intermediary animal, the civet, to humans, thus providing valuable insights into processes of molecular emergence.

Fig. 1

Electron micrograph of SARS-CoV. The virus measures 60–120 nm in size. See text for description. Image generously provided by CDC/C.D. Humphrey and T.G. Ksiazek (US CDC Website-http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/lab/images.htm).

Fig. 2

Timeline of the SARS epidemic. Major events are listed from top to bottom. Each interval in the arrow represents 1 week. For information on the first weeks of the epidemic in China, consult the book by Thomas Abraham, Twenty-First Century Plague. The Story of SARS. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland, 2005. (For colour version: see Colour Section on page 348).

Fig. 3

SARS-CoV genome organization. The genome organization is similar to other coronaviruses with respect to overall size, the relative positions of replicase, spike, envelope, membrane and nucleocapsid genes, and certain other features (see text for details). A 29-nucleotide stretch is deleted in the strain found in human isolates, as illustrated at the bottom. (For colour version: see Colour Section on page 348).