Viral Pandemics of the Last Four Decades: Pathophysiology, Health Impacts and Perspectives

Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Anandan Das, Pallav Sengupta, Sulagna Dutta, Shatabhisha Roychoudhury, Arun Paul Choudhury, A. B. Fuzayel Ahmed, Saumendra Bhattacharjee and Petr Slama
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Shubhadeep Roychoudhury: Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India
Anandan Das: Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India
Pallav Sengupta: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, MAHSA University, SP2, Bandar Saujana Putra, Jenjarom, Selangor 42610, Malaysia
Sulagna Dutta: Department of Oral Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, MAHSA University, SP2, Bandar Saujana Putra, Jenjarom, Selangor 42610, Malaysia
Shatabhisha Roychoudhury: Department of Microbiology, R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata 700004, India
Arun Paul Choudhury: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar 788014, India
A. B. Fuzayel Ahmed: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar 788014, India
Saumendra Bhattacharjee: Department of Pathology, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar 788014, India
Petr Slama: Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Genetics, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-39

Abstract: The last four decades has witnessed some of the deadliest viral pandemics with far-reaching consequences. These include the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1981), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (2002), Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) (2009), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (2012), Ebola virus (2013) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) (2019-present). Age- and gender-based characterizations suggest that SARS-CoV-2 resembles SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV with regard to higher fatality rates in males, and in the older population with comorbidities. The invasion-mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, involves binding of its spike protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors; MERS-CoV utilizes dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), whereas H1N1 influenza is equipped with hemagglutinin protein. The viral infections-mediated immunomodulation, and progressive inflammatory state may affect the functions of several other organs. Although no effective commercial vaccine is available for any of the viruses, those against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed at an unprecedented speed. Until now, only Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine has received temporary authorization from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Given the frequent emergence of viral pandemics in the 21st century, proper understanding of their characteristics and modes of action are essential to address the immediate and long-term health consequences.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ebola; HIV; influenza; SARS-CoV-2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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