About this Research Topic
Two human coronaviruses (hCoVs) were first linked to the common cold in the 1960's. The start of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002, marked the first known human pandemic caused by a hCoV. Four hCoVs (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1) are endemic in the human population and are mainly associated with 10-30% of mild, self-limiting “common cold” illnesses annually. It appears as though the burden of respiratory tract infections, caused by the four "common-cold" hCoVs, is increased in patients with chronic co-morbidities or clinical risk factors including young children, the elderly and immunocompromised. On the other hand, the three pathogenic hCoVs, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, cause severe respiratory syndromes and result in high morbidities in the especially the elderly. Even so, our studies over the past 60 years, has shown that the morbidity and economic impact associated with the seven human coronaviruses, are significant.
Why do we see the differences in the mortality and morbidity between the "common cold" and pathogenic hCoVs; are they host or virus determinant? What have we learned about these differences during, and in the period between, the two hCoV pandemics? The current pandemic has shown that we have not consistently used the knowledge gained from research on the previous six hCoVs as a foundation in studying and fighting SARS-CoV-2; this has often resulted in delays in reporting on therapeutics, control measures, etc. This Research topic will highlight the differences between the seven hCoVs, with particular focus on, but not limited to, morbidity and mortality numbers, genomic differences, their distinct immune evasion mechanisms, viral-host interactions, the development of potential broad-spectrum antiviral or therapeutics, etc. This Research Topic would highlight why some hCoVs are more pathogenic than others. Furthermore, a Special Issue providing a platform to share the work done on all seven known hCoVs, should provide us with a better research foundation when the next pathogenic hCoV is identified.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the following manuscript types: Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Scoping Reviews, Perspectives, Opinions and Hypotheses. Please note that abstract submission is not mandatory but encouraged, and you can submit your manuscript to the topic even without submitting an abstract.
We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics looking at the seven hCoVs:
• Surveillance studies including hospital, community, national, or regional-based monitoring
• Studies reporting on the occurrence and impact of co-infections, i.e. hCoVs and other pathogens
• Differences in outcomes across age groups, geographic location, and ethnicity
• Pathogenesis and risk factors of disease severity
Why do we see the differences in the mortality and morbidity between the "common cold" and pathogenic hCoVs; are they host or virus determinant? What have we learned about these differences during, and in the period between, the two hCoV pandemics? The current pandemic has shown that we have not consistently used the knowledge gained from research on the previous six hCoVs as a foundation in studying and fighting SARS-CoV-2; this has often resulted in delays in reporting on therapeutics, control measures, etc. This Research topic will highlight the differences between the seven hCoVs, with particular focus on, but not limited to, morbidity and mortality numbers, genomic differences, their distinct immune evasion mechanisms, viral-host interactions, the development of potential broad-spectrum antiviral or therapeutics, etc. This Research Topic would highlight why some hCoVs are more pathogenic than others. Furthermore, a Special Issue providing a platform to share the work done on all seven known hCoVs, should provide us with a better research foundation when the next pathogenic hCoV is identified.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the following manuscript types: Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Scoping Reviews, Perspectives, Opinions and Hypotheses. Please note that abstract submission is not mandatory but encouraged, and you can submit your manuscript to the topic even without submitting an abstract.
We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics looking at the seven hCoVs:
• Surveillance studies including hospital, community, national, or regional-based monitoring
• Studies reporting on the occurrence and impact of co-infections, i.e. hCoVs and other pathogens
• Differences in outcomes across age groups, geographic location, and ethnicity
• Pathogenesis and risk factors of disease severity
Keywords: coronavirus, respiratory disease, SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
