New Knowledge in the Study of Coronaviruses: Towards One Health and Whole Genome Sequencing Approaches, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issue, “New Knowledge in the Study of Coronaviruses: Towards One Health and Whole Genome Sequencing Approaches”

Coronaviruses, belonging to the order Nidovirales, are enveloped, positive single-stranded RNA viruses that have the largest and most complex genomes among riboviruses. Their name derives from the protrusions (spikes) present in the viral envelope. The Coronaviridae family includes four genera (Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma- and Deltacoronavirus), which include several species of viruses capable of infecting humans, mammals and birds.

The advent of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has enormously increased the attention on these viruses, which were previously known in human pathology, especially for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Often, the coronavirus environmental reservoir is represented by different animal species, especially bats; humans are the final hosts of these viruses or become infected due to spillover events. Therefore, given the presence of coronaviruses in animal hosts and their ability to spillover, it is essential to adopt a One Health approach.

Coronaviruses research should be based on molecular approaches—in particular, by adopting Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) techniques that are needed to characterize these viruses and track possible spillover events, in order to prevent new pandemic events. In fact, if from a diagnostic point of view, it may still be sufficient to adopt classical techniques of the amplification of nucleic acids (NAATs). It is necessary to encourage the research to adopt the full genome approach to constantly increase the available knowledge about these viruses.

For these reasons, this Special Issue was designed to collect works concerning the study of coronaviruses in both humans and animals. We welcome articles that may concern both diagnostic and research aspects, with a particular emphasis on works based on WGS approaches.

Dr. Simone Peletto
Guest Editor

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• coronaviruses
• whole genome sequencing Approaches
• one health

• New Knowledge in the Study of Coronaviruses: Towards One Health and Whole Genome Sequencing Approaches in Microorganisms (10 articles)