COVID-19: pathogen characteristics, natural and adaptive immune response mechanisms, genetic diversity and distribution
https://doi.org/10.29235/1814-6023-2021-18-4-497-512
Abstract
COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by a member of the Coronaviridae family, a beta-2 coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic lasting about 19 months has caused serious damage to the health of people on our planet – by the 13 of July 2021, more than 187.9 000 000 patients have been diagnosed and more than 4.0 mln patients died from infection (> 2.0 %). Scientists around the world are actively investigating the critically important molecular-genetic aspects of the biology of the pathogen (genome RNA structure, proteins properties) that are important for understanding the disease mechanisms, as well as the mechanisms of individual and collective immunological protection and vaccines development with non-specific prophylactics.
About the Authors
L. P. Titov
Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Leonid Р. Titov ‒ Corresponding Member, D. Sc. (Med.), Professor, Head of the Laboratory
23, Filimonov Str., 220114, Minsk
M. V. Sprindzuk
United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Matvey V. Sprindzuk ‒ Ph. D. (Eng.)
6, Surganov Str., 220012, Minsk
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For citations:
Titov L.P., Sprindzuk M.V. COVID-19: pathogen characteristics, natural and adaptive immune response mechanisms, genetic diversity and distribution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Medical series. 2021;18(4):497-512. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.29235/1814-6023-2021-18-4-497-512
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