Coronaviridae

Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the common cold (which is also caused by other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses), while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS and COVID-19. In cows and pigs, they cause diarrhea; while in mice, they cause hepatitis and encephalomyelitis.

Coronaviridae is a family of enveloped, positive-strand RNA viruses which infect fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals. The group includes the subfamilies Letovirinae, Orthocoronavirinae, and Pitovirinae. The members of the subfamily Orthocoronavirinae are known as coronaviruses.

diseases caused by coronaviruses

any virus whose primary reservoir is bats

provisional name given to any recently discovered coronavirus of medical significance

Bat coronavirus RaTG13 is a SARS-like betacoronavirus identified in the droppings of the horseshoe bat Rhinolophus affinis. It was discovered in 2013 in bat droppings from a mining cave near the town of Tongguan in Mojiang county in Yunnan, China. In February 2020, it was identified as the closest known relative of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, sharing 96.1% nucleotide identity. However, in 2022, scientists found three closer matches in bats found 530 km south, in Feuang, Laos, designated as BANAL-52 (96.8% identity), BANAL-103 and BANAL-236.

Letovirinae is a subfamily of viruses within the family Coronaviridae, where it is the only subfamily besides the more diverse Orthocoronavirinae (coronaviruses). Letovirinae contains one genus, Alphaletovirus, which contains one subgenus, Milecovirus, which contains one species, Microhyla letovirus 1 (MLeV, Alphaletovirus microhylae). This species was discovered in 2018 and is hosted by the ornate chorus frog (Microhyla fissipes).