Environmental impacts on the transmission and evolution of COVID-19 combing the knowledge of pathogenic respiratory coronaviruses

Jing Zhan; Qian S Liu; Zhendong Sun; Qunfang Zhou; Ligang Hu; Guangbo Qu; Jianqing Zhang; Bin Zhao; Guibin Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115621

Environmental impacts on the transmission and evolution of COVID-19 combing the knowledge of pathogenic respiratory coronaviruses

Environ Pollut. 2020 Dec:267:115621. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115621. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Authors

Jing Zhan¹, Qian S Liu², Zhendong Sun¹, Qunfang Zhou³, Ligang Hu¹, Guangbo Qu³, Jianqing Zhang⁴, Bin Zhao³, Guibin Jiang³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China. Electronic address: qianl@rcees.ac.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
⁴ Department of POPs Lab, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.

Abstract

The emergence of a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 during December 2019, has caused the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is officially announced to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The increasing burden from this pandemic is seriously affecting everyone's life, and threating the global public health. Understanding the transmission, survival, and evolution of the virus in the environment will assist in the prevention, control, treatment, and eradication of its infection. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the environmental impacts on the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2, based on briefly introducing this respiratory virus. Future research objectives for the prevention and control of these contagious viruses and their related diseases are highlighted from the perspective of environmental science. This review should be of great help to prevent and control the epidemics caused by emerging respiratory coronaviruses (CoVs).

Keywords: COVID-19; Environmental impact; Evolution; SARS-CoV-2; Transmission route.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Coronavirus*
Environment
Humans
Pandemics