COVID-19 from mysterious enemy to an environmental detection process: a critical review
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REVIEW
COVID‑19 from mysterious enemy to an environmental detection process: a critical review Lamis M. F. El‑Baz1 · Khalid Z. Elwakeel2,3 · Ahmed M. Elgarahy4 Received: 16 May 2020 / Accepted: 27 June 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The recent global emergence of an unusual viral pneumonia of COVID-19 epidemic was firstly started in Wuhan city, Hubei province in China in December 2019. Regrettably, it is still sweeping the planet, and it cannot be controlled up till now. By May 2020, the unexpected spread of this disaster had caused more than 3,759,967 cases and 259,474 deaths in 114 countries from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. Considering its fatal nature, it has evolved as a major challenge for the world. This is necessitating a quick and steep intervention in order to save millions of people’s lives across the globe. The knowledge about the nature and evolution of the COVID-19 virus in water, soils, and other environmental compartments can be addressed through wastewater and sewage. Wastewater-based epidemiology approach can be used as an early indicator of the infection within a specific population. The basic aim of this review article is trying to provide a prompt, and valuable reference guides about COVID-19. Some important questions were addressed, such as, its origin, transmission, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, environmental aspects, and the possible indoors and outdoors airborne transmission minimization strategies that may benefit specialists. Keywords Coronavirus · COVID-19 · Transmission · Emerging infection · Prevention strategies · Environmental aspects · Wastewater-based epidemiology
Introduction Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, non-segmented, positive-sense RNA viruses ranging from 60 to 140 nm in diameter. Its name is attributing to their distinctive shape under the electron microscope examination as they are characterized by possessing spikes like projections on their external surface providing them with a crown-like appearance [1]. Taxonomically, they are members of the subfamily of Orthocoronavirinae, the family of Coronaviridae, the order of Nidovirales. Generally, CoVs are categorized into four * Khalid Z. Elwakeel [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez University, Suez, Egypt
2
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3
Environmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt
4
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt
main genera including α-/β-/γ-/δ-COV.α- and β-COV have the abilities to infect mammals, whereas γ- and δ-COV can infect birds [2, 3]. Additionally, they have shown a similar ability to infect humans in previous decades [4–9]. Historically, before 2019, six-known human CoVs types were causing respiratory diseases with various severities; four common CoVs types identified as HKU1, NL63, 229E, and OC43; and two highly pathogenic CoVs types
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