- Published
- 23 September 2020
- Journal article
Zoonotic and Reverse Zoonotic Events of SARS-CoV-2 and their Impact on Global Health
- Authors
- Source
- Emerging Microbes and Infections
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, positive sense, single-stranded RNA viruses. The viruses have adapted to infect a large number of animal species, ranging from bats to camels. At present, seven CoVs infect humans, of which Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for causing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans. Since its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly across the globe. Healthcare systems around the globe have been stretched beyond their limits and capacity posing new challenges to emergency healthcare services and critical care. The outbreak continues to jeopardize human health, social life and economy. All known human CoVs have zoonotic origins. Recent detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pet, zoo and farm animals has highlighted its potential for reverse zoonosis. This scenario is particularly alarming, since these animals could be potential reservoirs for secondary zoonotic infections. In this article, we highlight interspecies SARS-CoV-2 infections and focus on the reverse zoonotic potential of this virus. We also emphasize the importance of potential secondary zoonotic events and the One-Health and One-World approach to tackle such future pandemics.
Rights
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, on behalf of Shanghai Shangyixun Cultural Communication Co., Ltd This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite as
Munir, K., Ashraf, S., Munir, I., Khalid, H., Muneer, M., Mukhtar, N., Amin, S., Imran, M., Chaudhry, U., Zaheer, M., Arshad, M., Munir, R., Ahmad, A. & Zhao, X. 2020, 'Zoonotic and Reverse Zoonotic Events of SARS-CoV-2 and their Impact on Global Health', Emerging Microbes and Infections, pp. 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2020.1827984