The emergence of a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) disease and their neuroinvasive propensity may affect in COVID‐19 patients

Yashavantha Rao, H.C.; Jayabaskaran, Chelliah

An outbreak of a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has recently emerged and rapidly spreading in humans causing a significant threat to international health and the economy. Rapid assessment and warning are crucial for an outbreak analysis in response to serious public health. SARS‐CoV‐2 shares highly homological sequences with SARS‐CoVs causing highly lethal pneumonia with respiratory distress and clinical symptoms similar to those reported for SARS‐CoV and MERS‐CoV infections. Notably, some COVID‐19 patients also expressed neurologic signs like nausea, headache, and vomiting. Several studies have reported that coronaviruses are not only causing respiratory illness but also invade the central nervous system through a synapse‐connected route. SARS‐CoV infections are reported in both patients and experimental animals' brains. Interestingly, some COVID‐19 patients have shown the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus in their cerebrospinal fluid. Considering the similarities between SARS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2 in various aspects, it remains to clarify whether the potent invasion of SARS‐CoV‐2 may affect in COVID‐19 patients. All these indicate that more detailed criteria are needed for the treatment and the prevention of SARS‐CoV‐2 infected patients. In the absence of potential interventions for COVID‐19, there is an urgent need for an alternative strategy to control the spread of this disease.