''Human coronavirus 229E'' (''HCoV-229E'') is a species of

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the co ...

which infects humans and bats. It is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded

RNA virus An RNA virus is a virusother than a retrovirusthat has ribonucleic acid ( RNA) as its genetic material. The nucleic acid is usually single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) but it may be double-stranded (dsRNA). Notable human diseases caused by RNA virus ...

which enters its host cell by binding to the APN receptor. Along with Human coronavirus OC43 (a member of the '' Betacoronavirus'' genus), it is one of the viruses responsible for the

common cold The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after expos ...

. HCoV-229E is a member of the genus '' Alphacoronavirus'' and subgenus ''Duvinacovirus''.

Transmission

HCoV-229E transmits via droplet-respiration and

fomite A fomite () or fomes () is any inanimate object that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents (such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi), can transfer disease to a new host. Transfer of pathogens by fomites A fomite is any ...

Signs and symptoms

HCoV-229E is associated with a range of

respiratory symptom Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, bron ...

s, ranging from the

to high-morbidity outcomes such as

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

and bronchiolitis. However, such high

morbidity A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

outcomes are almost always seen in cases with

co-infection Coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple pathogen species. In virology, coinfection includes simultaneous infection of a single cell by two or more virus particles. An example is the coinfection of liver cells with hepatiti ...

with other respiratory pathogens; there is a single published case report to date of a 229E infection that caused

acute respiratory distress syndrome Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin colo ...

(ARDS) in an otherwise healthy patient having no detectable co-infection with another

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a g ...

. HCoV-229E is also among the coronaviruses most frequently codetected with other respiratory viruses, particularly with human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV).

Epidemiology

HCoV-229E is one of the seven human coronaviruses which include HCoV-NL63,

HCoV-OC43 Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) is a member of the species ''Betacoronavirus 1'', which infects humans and cattle. The infecting coronavirus is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that enters its host cell by binding to t ...

, HCoV-HKU1, MERS-CoV,

SARS-CoV-1 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1; or Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV) is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the respiratory illness responsible for t ...

, and

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

and are globally distributed. However, the viruses were detected in different parts of the world at different times of the year. A NCBI-study found a previous HCoV-229E infection in 42.9% – 50.0% of children of 6–12 months of age and in 65% of those 2.5–3.5 years of age.

Virology

HCoV-229E is one of seven known coronaviruses to infect humans. The other six are: * Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) * Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) * Human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1) * Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) * Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) * Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Research

Chloroquine Chloroquine is a medication primarily used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to its effects. Certain types of malaria, resistant strains, and complicated cases typically require different or additional medi ...

, a

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

ionophore, inhibits the replication of Human coronavirus 229E in

cell culture Cell culture or tissue culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside of their natural environment. The term "tissue culture" was coined by American pathologist Montrose Thomas Burrows. This tec ...

. Human HCoV-229E, and human HCoV-NL63, likely originated from bats.Tao Y, Shi M, Chommanard C, Queen K, Zhang J, Markotter W, Kuzmin IV, Holmes EC, Tong S. Surveillance of Bat Coronaviruses in Kenya Identifies Relatives of Human Coronaviruses NL63 and 229E and Their Recombination History. J Virol. 2017 Feb 14;91(5):e01953-16. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01953-16. Print 2017 Mar 1. PMID 28077633

History

A researcher at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, Dorothy Hamre, first identified 229E in 1965.

References

External links

CDC

Virus Pathogen Database and Analysis Resource (ViPR): Coronaviridae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16983356 Alphacoronaviruses Viral respiratory tract infections