Coronavirus

Revision as of 08:43, 8 September 2016 by Rossdonaldson1 (talk | contribs)

Background

  • Enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses with nucleocapsid
  • Very common cause of upper respiratory infection, especially during fall and winter, and some diarrhea in pediatric patients
  • MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV types of Coronavirus cause the most severe infections.

Clinical Features

  • Incubation period: 2-4 days
  • Upper respiratory symptoms
    • rhinorrhea, cough, sore throat, earache, fever, malaise
    • Respiratory symptoms may be more severe in elderly/immunocompromised (e.g. pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia)
  • GI symptoms - vomiting, diarrhea, Necrotizing enterocolitis (in neonates)

Differential Diagnosis

  • Rhinovirus: most common cold virus. Causes around 40% colds.
    • as opposed to Coronavirus, this causes cold in other seasons besides winter.
    • Rhinovirus is NOT encapsulated as opposed to Coronavirus.
  • respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  • influenza
  • parainfluenza

Evaluation

  • Generally no testing indicated
  • If needed, nasal swabs can be sent for PCR and immunofluorescent antigen assay

Management

  • There is no specific treatment for Coronavirus, since most infections spontaneously resolve.
  • Supportive care, no specific treatment
    • Rest, hydration, analgesia, antipyretics
  • Hand hygiene to prevent spread

Disposition

Prevention

  • No vaccines have been made thus far to prevent Coronavirus.
  • Measures to reduce risk of transmission: fully wash hands, do not touch face without washing hands, avoid close contact with sick contacts.

See Also

External Links

http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus

References