Coronaviruses • SARS • MERS • COVID-19 RODO PFISTER RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF AFROEURASIAN LIFE SCIENCES • BASEL, SWITZERLAND • 2020 • VERSION 3 CONTACT: [email protected] CONTENTS CORONAVIRUSES IN GENERAL ......................................................................................................................... 2 SARS-COV • SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS ........................................................... 4 TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE .......................................................................................................................... 8 MERS-COV • MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS .......................................................... 17 SARSR-COV • SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME-RELATED CORONAVIRUSES .................................... 18 COVID-19 • SARS-COV-2 • 2019-NCOV ........................................................................................................... 21 REPORTING WEBSITES ...................................................................................................................................... 21 DAILY REPORTS WHO • NHC PRC • HEALTH COMMISSION OF HUBEI PROVINCE .......................................................... 23 COVID-19 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................. 24 BIOMEDICAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, GENETIC STUDIES.................................................................................................. 25 Retractions • Withdrawals ...................................................................................................................................... 61 GUIDELINES • GUIDANCE FOR COVID-19 ............................................................................................................ 62 TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE ........................................................................................................................ 64 PRESS REPORTS .............................................................................................................................................. 69 SOCIOCULTURAL REACTIONS • ARTS • SOCIAL SCIENCES • SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY .......................................................... 85 RUMOURS • DISINFORMATION • PROPAGANDA WAR ............................................................................................... 90 Anti-racist stancE.................................................................................................................................................... 90 Notification on falsE information ............................................................................................................................ 90 Discussion of propaganda articlEs • InfodEmic ........................................................................................................ 91 Propaganda articlEs ................................................................................................................................................ 93 This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. (NIAID-RML/de Wit/Fischer) <https://nature.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c6057c528fdc6f73fa196d9d&id=53abec294e&e=4fa403eb88> 1 Coronaviruses in general MONTO Arnold S., COWLING Benjamin J., PEIRIS J.S. Malik °2014 [pdf] Coronaviruses, in: KASLOW Richard A., STANBERRY Lawrence R., LE DUC James W. (eds.) °2014 [pdf]: Viral Infections of Humans: Epidemiology and Control. Boston, MA: Springer, pp. 199-223, 5 figs., 3 tables, 226 refs. <https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7448-8_10> <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4899-7448-8_10> [Abstract: Coronaviruses of humans were first identified more than 60 years ago from indivi- duals with respiratory infections, mainly mild. Two different viruses, 229E and OC43 were initially recognized. Because of difficulty in isolating them using standard techniques, many of the early studies of their occurrence were seroepidemiologic. They were confirmed to be world- wide in distribution, and, in the North Temperate Zone, mainly occurring in the winter season. With the development of the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, two additional distinct viruses have been identified, HKU1 and NL63. The four viruses have now been recognized as important in the etiology of common respiratory infections, second only to the rhinoviruses. In 2002, a previously unrecognized betacoronavirus emerged from a zoonotic reservoir in Southern China and spread during the following year to several major cities of the world. The resulting illness was termed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) because of its potential lethality. More than 8,000 probable cases were reported during 2003, mainly from Hong Kong and mainland China, producing social and economic disruption in those areas affected. A constant feature of the outbreak was the importance of nosocomial spread. In spite of an estimated basic reproductive number higher than influenza, the outbreak was ended, in large part because of control of in-hospital transmission. In 2012, another betacoronavirus has emer- ged in the Arabian peninsula which is producing a somewhat similar illness, termed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), also marked by extensive nosocomial transmission. The outcome of this emergence is currently unknown. Keywords. Osteoporosis, Corticosteroid, Pneumonia, Influenza, Diarrhea.] CUI Jie, LI Fang & SHI Zheng-Li 2019 Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses, in: Nature Reviews Microbiology 17: 181-192. <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0118-9> [Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respi- ratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are two highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses that emerged in humans at the beginning of the 21st century. Both viruses likely originated in bats, and genetically diverse coronaviruses that are related to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV were discovered in bats worldwide. In this Review, we summarize the current knowledge on the origin and evolution of these two pathogenic coronaviruses and discuss their receptor usage; we also highlight the diversity and potential of spillover of bat-borne coronaviruses, as evidenced by the recent spillover of swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) to pigs. Sections: Abstract / Introduction / Coronavirus diversity Animal origin and evolution of SARS-CoV Variability of SARS-CoV in humans and civets Variability of bat SARSr-CoVs Receptor usage of SARS-CoV and SARSr-CoV Origin and evolution of MERS-CoV Variability of human and camel MERS-CoV Variability of bat MERSr-CoVs Receptor usage of MERS-CoV and MERSr-CoV SADS-CoV Conclusions and future perspectives References / Acknowledgements / Author information / Ethics declarations / Additional information / Supplementary information / Glossary / Rights and permissions / About this article / Further reading] KAMPF Günter, TODT Daniel, PFAENDER Stephanie, STEINMANN Eike °2020 [pdf] Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and its inactivation with biocidal agents, in: Journal of Hospital Infection [pre-proof; 13 p.; 3 tables.] <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.01.022> 2 Summary: Currently, the emergence of a novel human coronavirus, temporary named 2019- nCoV, has become a global health concern causing severe respiratory tract infections in humans. Human-to-human transmissions have been described with incubation times between 2-10 days, facilitating its spread via droplets, contaminated hands or surfaces. We therefore reviewed the literature on all available information about the persistence of human and veteri- nary coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces as well as inactivation strategies with biocidal agents used for chemical disinfection, e.g. in healthcare facilities. The analysis of 22 studies reveals that human coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus or endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV) can persist on inanimate surfaces like metal, glass or plastic for up to 9 days, but can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62-71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute. Other biocidal agents such as 0.05-0.2% benzalkonium chloride or 0.02% chlorhexidine digluconate are less effective. As no specific therapies are available for 2019-nCoV, early containment and prevention of further spread will be crucial to stop the ongoing outbreak and to control this novel infectious thread. Keywords: coronavirus, persistence, inanimate surfaces, chemical inactivation, biocidal agents, disinfec- tion.] LU Guangwen, WANG Qihui, GAO George F. °2015 [pdf] Bat-to-human: spike features determining ‘host jump’ of coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and beyond, (Feature Review) in: Trends in Microbiology 23(8): 468-478, 3 figs., 2 tables. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2015.06.003> [Highlights: • Bats are natural reservoirs of many coronaviruses that can infect humans. • Mechanisms of cross-species transmission of coronaviruses are important scientific questions. • The coronaviral spike protein is an important viral determinant of cross-species transmission. • Receptor-binding characteristics and cleavage priming of the spike protein are summarized. Abstract: Both severe acute respiratory