Koronaviruksella

Koronaviruksella is a genus of viruses within the family Coronaviridae. These viruses are known to infect a wide range of hosts, including mammals and birds. The name "coronavirus" originates from the Latin word "corona," meaning "crown," referring to the characteristic appearance of these viruses under an electron microscope, where their surface appears to be adorned with a fringe of large, bulbous protein spikes, resembling a solar corona.

Coronaviruses are RNA viruses, meaning their genetic material is ribonucleic acid. They are typically enveloped viruses, with a lipid bilayer surrounding their genetic core. The genome of coronaviruses is relatively large and encodes for several structural proteins, including the spike (S) protein, envelope (E) protein, membrane (M) protein, and nucleocapsid (N) protein, as well as non-structural proteins involved in viral replication and assembly.

In humans, coronaviruses are common causes of respiratory infections, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Several strains of human coronaviruses are known, including Human Coronavirus 229E, Human Coronavirus OC43, Human Coronavirus NL63, and Human Coronavirus HKU1. More recently, novel coronaviruses have emerged that have caused significant outbreaks and pandemics. The most prominent example is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) which caused the SARS outbreak in 2002-2004, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which emerged in 2012, and the highly transmissible Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019. These more pathogenic coronaviruses can cause severe pneumonia and other systemic complications.