Independent infections of porcine deltacoronavirus among Haitian children.
Nature
; 600(7887): 133-137, 2021 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1521757
ABSTRACT
Coronaviruses have caused three major epidemics since 2003, including the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In each case, the emergence of coronavirus in our species has been associated with zoonotic transmissions from animal reservoirs1,2, underscoring how prone such pathogens are to spill over and adapt to new species. Among the four recognized genera of the family Coronaviridae, human infections reported so far have been limited to alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses3-5. Here we identify porcine deltacoronavirus strains in plasma samples of three Haitian children with acute undifferentiated febrile illness. Genomic and evolutionary analyses reveal that human infections were the result of at least two independent zoonoses of distinct viral lineages that acquired the same mutational signature in the genes encoding Nsp15 and the spike glycoprotein. In particular, structural analysis predicts that one of the changes in the spike S1 subunit, which contains the receptor-binding domain, may affect the flexibility of the protein and its binding to the host cell receptor. Our findings highlight the potential for evolutionary change and adaptation leading to human infections by coronaviruses outside of the previously recognized human-associated coronavirus groups, particularly in settings where there may be close human-animal contact.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Swine
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Viral Zoonoses
/
Deltacoronavirus
Type of study:
Case report
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Animals
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Caribbean
/
Haiti
Language:
English
Journal:
Nature
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41586-021-04111-z
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS