Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, SARS-CoV, first recognised in an outbreak that began in 2002 to 2003 and spread internationally. The disease is characterised by fever and lower respiratory involvement that can progress to severe pneumonia and respirato…
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, SARS-CoV, first recognised in an outbreak that began in 2002 to 2003 and spread internationally. The disease is characterised by fever and lower respiratory involvement that can progress to severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, and it is transmitted chiefly through respiratory droplets and close contact. SARS-CoV belongs to the betacoronaviruses, an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus family that also includes SARS-CoV-2, the agent of COVID-19; the spike glycoprotein mediates host-cell entry and is a focus of evolutionary and immunological study. Research in this area, much of it prompted by the closely related SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, examines the molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships of these coronaviruses through spike-gene and genomic analysis, viral kinetics under antiviral regimens, intracellular replication cycles, mutation prediction, variant screening, and host immune and cytokine responses, including the role of convalescent plasma and neutralising antibodies. Related strands address pathogenesis, immunity, and therapeutic strategy. The topic matters because coronavirus emergence poses a continuing threat to global health, and understanding viral evolution, transmission, and host response informs surveillance, treatment, and vaccine development. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research on coronavirus biology, molecular evolution, and the clinical and immunological aspects of these infections.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 15 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on SARS, linking to each citing work.