While the world is firmly in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, we take a look back at SARS and MERS and their underlying pathogens, which are also coronaviruses.
Coronaviruses are a large family of enveloped RNA viruses that mostly infect birds and mammals. In humans, they can cause mild infection in the upper respiratory tract, like the common cold, but also more serious lower respiratory tract infections.
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These infections can manifest as bronchitis, pneumonia, or a severe respiratory illness, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), or coronavirus