University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

1. HCoV-HKU1
2. HCoV-OC43 
3. HCoV-NL63
4. HCoV-229E
5. MERS-CoV 
6. SARS-CoV
7. SARS-CoV-2

Beta coronaviruses

The types of common human coronaviruses are:
1. HCoV-229E (alpha coronavirus)
2. HCoV-NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
3. HCoV-OC43 (beta coronavirus)
4. HCoV-HKU1 (beta coronavirus)

Types of common Coronaviruses

Ogimi, C., Kim, Y. J., Martin, E. T., Huh, H. J., Chiu, C. H., & Englund, J. A. (2020). What’s New With the Old Coronaviruses?. Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
https://academic.oup.com/jpids/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpids/piaa037/5823148

What’s New With the Old Coronaviruses?

MERS-CoV is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, which is a contagious virus characterized by severe respiratory symptoms and disease. 

MERS-CoV

SARS-CoV, or SARS-associated coronavirus, is a virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which first appeared in 2003 and spread around the world. SARS-CoV is considered a select agent, meaning it has the potential to severely threathen public health.

SARS-CoV

COVID-19 refers to the newly discovered infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. This new virus and disease were first discovered during the outbreak in Wuhan, China, that reportedly began in December 2019. Before this discovery of the new virus, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announced that patients were sick with 'viral pneumonia' from an unknown cause.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

HCoV-OC43 was transmitted to humans about 1890.
HCoVs OC43 were isolated from nasal cavities of people with the common cold in the 1960s. In the 1970s, studies that used serology and viral culture linked OC43 with 8% of cases of lower respiratory tract infection(LRTI) in hospitalized infants.

HCoV-OC43

HCoV-HKU1

Several cellular proteins have been reported to be involved in the early steps of beta coronavirus infections in humans.  ACE2, a membrane bound protein that is involved in the cellular entry of many beta coronaviruses, is often supported by the function of other proteins.  Some facilitate the shedding of ACE2 from the cell surface, and others cleave viral S proteins to enhance the fusion of the two membranes.  They include:

- ACE2
- ADAM10
- ADAM17
- TMPRSS2
- TMPRSS11A
- TMPRSS11D
- furin
- CTSL
- PI4KB

Cellular Proteins Related to Beta Coronavirus Infections

HCoV-OC43 is the most common species. A large prospective surveillance study conducted in Norway from 2006 to 2015 that enrolled all hospitalized children aged ≤16 years with respiratory tract infections revealed that HCoVs OC43 and NL63
were detected most frequently and were epidemic every second winter. HCoV-HKU1 was prevalent every second winter during the year when detection rates for HCoVs OC43 and NL63 were low; HCoV-229E was the least common.

Common Coronaviruses outbreak frequency

HCov-229E

It is among the four identified coronaviruses which are known to continuously circulate in the human population, especially in young children. HCoV-NL63 was first isolated in Amsterdam in 2004 from the nasopharyngeal aspirate of a seven-month old child; the patient presented with symptoms suggesting respiratory tract infection (coryza, conjunctivitis, and fever), while his chest X-ray showed typical features of bronchiolitis

Learn Before

Related