RESEARCH STARTER
Betacoronavirus
Betacoronavirus is one of the four genera of coronaviruses, belonging to the family Coronaviridae, which includes other genera such as alphacoronavirus, gammacoronavirus, and deltacoronavirus. This genus primarily infects mammals and is notably the most likely to infect humans. Betacoronaviruses can cause a range of illnesses affecting the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, with varying degrees of severity. One well-known example is HCoV-OC43, associated with mild illnesses like the common cold, though it can lead to more serious respiratory infections in vulnerable individuals.
More severe betacoronaviruses include MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, and SARS-CoV, responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome. The most recent and notable member of this genus is SARS-CoV-2, which led to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019, causing significant global health impacts. Various variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged during the pandemic, some exhibiting increased transmissibility. Overall, betacoronaviruses are significant due to their zoonotic potential and impact on human health, prompting extensive scientific research to better understand and mitigate their risks.
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Full Article
Betacoronavirus is one of four genera of coronaviruses, which are enveloped viruses from the family Coronaviridae. The other genera of coronaviruses include alphacoronavirus, gammacoronavirus, and deltacoronavirus. Scientists have estimated that coronaviruses developed in roughly 8000 BCE, and betacoronaviruses developed in roughly 3300 BCE. Betacoronaviruses infect several mammals, and although both alpha- and betacoronaviruses are likely to infect humans, betacoronaviruses pose a high risk for pandemic owing to its pathogenecity.
Overview
Betacoronaviruses can cause diseases that affect the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal system, or other body systems. Different virus species cause different types of illnesses and infect different hosts. Betacoronaviruses are among the most significant coronaviruses affecting humans, including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. (However, alphacoronaviruses, such as HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, also infect humans and cause respiratory illnesses.) Betacoronaviruses can also infect other mammals, such as bats, cows, and swine.
One common betacoronavirus is HCoV-OC43, which infects humans and causes the common cold. (Other viruses, including two alphacoronaviruses, also cause the common cold.) Symptoms include cough, sore throat, and nasal discharge. Although HCoV-OC43 usually causes relatively mild illness, it can sometimes cause lower respiratory tract infections that are serious and can cause complications in individuals with asthma or other conditions. It is one of seven coronaviruses known to infect humans. HCoV-OC43 is one of the coronaviruses that most commonly infects humans, along with HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1.
Other betacoronaviruses have also caused illness outbreaks in humans. MERS-CoV, another betacoronavirus, causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This respiratory disease causes serious illness in humans. About 35 percent of reported MERS cases have resulted in death, though that percentage could be inflated because some people are asymptomatic and do not realize they are infected. MERS is a zoonotic disease, or an infectious disease that is transmitted between species. Such diseases can be transmitted to humans from animals and to animals from humans. People most often catch MERS from infected camels, but transmission between humans is possible. MERS-CoV causes sporadic outbreaks, primarily in the Middle East. SARS-CoV, which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), is another betacoronavirus species that infects humans and causes serious respiratory disease.
Beginning in the late 2019, and escalating into a global pandemic declared in March 2020, the world experienced a pandemic of the virus SARS-CoV-2, which is a betacoronavirus that first emerged late in 2019. The virus causes an illness mostly of the respiratory tract, though it also affects other organ systems. The first vaccines used to prevent COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, were released in late 2020 and were widely distributed throughout 2021 and 2022, which helped reduce mortality from COVID-19. Updated COVID-19 vaccines continued to be introduced in later years to better protect against currently circulating strains. However, according to the World Health Organization, the highly contagious disease has caused over 7 million confirmed deaths worldwide, with higher estimates based on excess mortality analyses, making COVID-19 responsible for one of the deadliest pandemics in recorded history in terms of the death toll. As the pandemic progressed, public health experts also noted the emergence of a number of variants of the virus, including the Delta and Omicron variants; some of these variants were more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. In May 2023, the World Health Organization ended COVID-19’s status as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, marking a shift from the emergency phase to long-term management. Research has also revealed that some individuals experience long-term effects, known as long COVID, which can persist for months or years. Scientists are researching the mechanisms behind long COVID and potential treatments.
Because betacoronaviruses are the types of coronaviruses that have been most likely to infect humans, scientists have studied these viruses closely. Betacoronaviruses commonly infect other types of animals, but nearly all the hosts are mammals. Bats are common carriers of alpha- and betacoronaviruses. Scientists recognized that zoonotic illnesses caused by coronaviruses could be potentially very dangerous and have studied these animals for years.
Some betacoronaviruses infect mammals other than humans, such as antelopes and giraffes (closely related to bovine coronavirus), as well as equine coronavirus (ECoV) in horses, murine hepatitis virus (MHV) in mice, and porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) in swine. These viruses commonly cause respiratory or enteric diseases, but some cause illnesses that affect other organ systems. For example, porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) causes encephalomyelitis, which is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, in swine.
Bibliography
Callaway, Ewen. “Beyond Omicron: What’s Next for COVID’s Viral Evolution.” Nature, 5 Jan. 2022, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03619-8. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Cui, Jie, et al. “Origin and Evolution of Pathogenic Coronaviruses.” Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 17, no. 3, 2019, pp. 181–92, doi:10.1038/s41579-018-0118-9. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
He, Biao, et al. “Identification of Diverse Alphacoronaviruses and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Like Coronavirus from Bats in China.” Journal of Virology, vol. 88, no. 12, 2014, pp. 7070–82, doi: 10.1128/JVI.00631-14. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Mora-Díaz, Juan Carlos, et al. “Porcine Hemagglutinating Encephalomyelitis Virus: A Review.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, vol. 27, no. 6, 2019, p. 53, doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00053. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Schrage, Scott. “COVID-Causing Coronavirus Following Predictable Mutational Footsteps.” Nebraska Today, 13 July 2021, news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/covid-causing-coronavirus-following-predictable-mutational-footsteps. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
“Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).” CDC, 21 Feb. 2024, www.cdc.gov/orr/responses/sars.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
“WHO COVID-19 Dashboard.” World Health Organization, 2 Mar. 2025, covid19.who.int. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Woo, C. Y., et al. "ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Coronaviridae." Journal of General Virology, 2023, doi:10.1099/jgv.0.001843. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Full Article
Betacoronavirus is one of four genera of coronaviruses, which are enveloped viruses from the family Coronaviridae. The other genera of coronaviruses include alphacoronavirus, gammacoronavirus, and deltacoronavirus. Scientists have estimated that coronaviruses developed in roughly 8000 BCE, and betacoronaviruses developed in roughly 3300 BCE. Betacoronaviruses infect several mammals, and although both alpha- and betacoronaviruses are likely to infect humans, betacoronaviruses pose a high risk for pandemic owing to its pathogenecity.
Overview
Betacoronaviruses can cause diseases that affect the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal system, or other body systems. Different virus species cause different types of illnesses and infect different hosts. Betacoronaviruses are among the most significant coronaviruses affecting humans, including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. (However, alphacoronaviruses, such as HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, also infect humans and cause respiratory illnesses.) Betacoronaviruses can also infect other mammals, such as bats, cows, and swine.
One common betacoronavirus is HCoV-OC43, which infects humans and causes the common cold. (Other viruses, including two alphacoronaviruses, also cause the common cold.) Symptoms include cough, sore throat, and nasal discharge. Although HCoV-OC43 usually causes relatively mild illness, it can sometimes cause lower respiratory tract infections that are serious and can cause complications in individuals with asthma or other conditions. It is one of seven coronaviruses known to infect humans. HCoV-OC43 is one of the coronaviruses that most commonly infects humans, along with HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1.
Other betacoronaviruses have also caused illness outbreaks in humans. MERS-CoV, another betacoronavirus, causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This respiratory disease causes serious illness in humans. About 35 percent of reported MERS cases have resulted in death, though that percentage could be inflated because some people are asymptomatic and do not realize they are infected. MERS is a zoonotic disease, or an infectious disease that is transmitted between species. Such diseases can be transmitted to humans from animals and to animals from humans. People most often catch MERS from infected camels, but transmission between humans is possible. MERS-CoV causes sporadic outbreaks, primarily in the Middle East. SARS-CoV, which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), is another betacoronavirus species that infects humans and causes serious respiratory disease.
Beginning in the late 2019, and escalating into a global pandemic declared in March 2020, the world experienced a pandemic of the virus SARS-CoV-2, which is a betacoronavirus that first emerged late in 2019. The virus causes an illness mostly of the respiratory tract, though it also affects other organ systems. The first vaccines used to prevent COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, were released in late 2020 and were widely distributed throughout 2021 and 2022, which helped reduce mortality from COVID-19. Updated COVID-19 vaccines continued to be introduced in later years to better protect against currently circulating strains. However, according to the World Health Organization, the highly contagious disease has caused over 7 million confirmed deaths worldwide, with higher estimates based on excess mortality analyses, making COVID-19 responsible for one of the deadliest pandemics in recorded history in terms of the death toll. As the pandemic progressed, public health experts also noted the emergence of a number of variants of the virus, including the Delta and Omicron variants; some of these variants were more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. In May 2023, the World Health Organization ended COVID-19’s status as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, marking a shift from the emergency phase to long-term management. Research has also revealed that some individuals experience long-term effects, known as long COVID, which can persist for months or years. Scientists are researching the mechanisms behind long COVID and potential treatments.
Because betacoronaviruses are the types of coronaviruses that have been most likely to infect humans, scientists have studied these viruses closely. Betacoronaviruses commonly infect other types of animals, but nearly all the hosts are mammals. Bats are common carriers of alpha- and betacoronaviruses. Scientists recognized that zoonotic illnesses caused by coronaviruses could be potentially very dangerous and have studied these animals for years.
Some betacoronaviruses infect mammals other than humans, such as antelopes and giraffes (closely related to bovine coronavirus), as well as equine coronavirus (ECoV) in horses, murine hepatitis virus (MHV) in mice, and porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) in swine. These viruses commonly cause respiratory or enteric diseases, but some cause illnesses that affect other organ systems. For example, porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) causes encephalomyelitis, which is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, in swine.
Bibliography
Callaway, Ewen. “Beyond Omicron: What’s Next for COVID’s Viral Evolution.” Nature, 5 Jan. 2022, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03619-8. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Cui, Jie, et al. “Origin and Evolution of Pathogenic Coronaviruses.” Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 17, no. 3, 2019, pp. 181–92, doi:10.1038/s41579-018-0118-9. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
He, Biao, et al. “Identification of Diverse Alphacoronaviruses and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Like Coronavirus from Bats in China.” Journal of Virology, vol. 88, no. 12, 2014, pp. 7070–82, doi: 10.1128/JVI.00631-14. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Mora-Díaz, Juan Carlos, et al. “Porcine Hemagglutinating Encephalomyelitis Virus: A Review.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, vol. 27, no. 6, 2019, p. 53, doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00053. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Schrage, Scott. “COVID-Causing Coronavirus Following Predictable Mutational Footsteps.” Nebraska Today, 13 July 2021, news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/covid-causing-coronavirus-following-predictable-mutational-footsteps. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
“Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).” CDC, 21 Feb. 2024, www.cdc.gov/orr/responses/sars.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
“WHO COVID-19 Dashboard.” World Health Organization, 2 Mar. 2025, covid19.who.int. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Woo, C. Y., et al. "ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Coronaviridae." Journal of General Virology, 2023, doi:10.1099/jgv.0.001843. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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