SARS: Understanding the Virus and Development of Rational Therapy

Authors: Stadler, K.; Rappuoli, R.

Source: Current Molecular Medicine, Volume 5, Number 7, November 2005 , pp. 677-697(21)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

In late 2002 a new disease, severe atypical respiratory syndrome (SARS), emerged in China. A hitherto unknown animal coronavirus (CoV) that had crossed the species barrier through close contact of humans with infected animals was identified as the etiological agent. It rapidly adapted to the new host and not only became readily transmissible between humans but also more pathogenic. Air travel spread it rapidly around the world and ultimately the virus infected 8096 people and caused 774 deaths in 26 countries on 5 continents. Aggressive quarantine measures successfully terminated the disease. Currently, there are no SARS cases recorded and most likely the virus no longer circulates in the human population. In this review we present an overview over SARS-Co virus biology, the disease and discuss strategies to develop antiviral drugs and vaccines.

Keywords: Coronaviruses; SARS-CoV; cellular entry point; transcription regulatory sequences (TRSs); Replicase Polyproteins

Document Type: Review article

Affiliations: 1: Chiron Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.

Publication date: 2005-11-01

More about this publication?

Current Molecular Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal focused on providing the readership with current and comprehensive reviews on fundamental molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, the development of molecular-diagnosis and/or novel approaches to rational treatment. The reviews should be of significant interest to basic researchers and clinical investigators in molecular medicine. Periodically the journal will invite guest editors to devote an issue on a basic research area that shows promise to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) of a disease or has potential for clinical applications.