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Coronaviruses: emerging and re-emerging pathogens in humans and animals

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Edited by
Alan McLachlan, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Leo Poon, PhD, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

This thematic series published in Virology Journal emphasizes advances and key discoveries in the animal origin, viral evolution, epidemiology, diagnostics and pathogenesis of different emerging and re-emerging coronaviruses.

We are proud to announce that "Coronaviruses: emerging and re-emerging pathogens in humans and animals" is currently open for submissions - please submit here.

Originally published in 2015 and addressing the serious outbreaks of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), this thematic series is now again timely due to the new SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for an outbreak of respiratory illness known as COVID-19, which has spread to several countries around the world.

The Editors of Virology Journal felt that it would be timely and appropriate to relaunch a new call for papers to be published in this thematic series.

This collection of articles has not been sponsored and articles have undergone the journal’s standard peer-review process. The Guest Editors declare no competing interests.

Submission instructions

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines for Virology Journal.

The complete manuscript should be submitted through the journal submission system.

To ensure that you submit to the correct thematic series please select this thematic series in the drop-down menu upon submission.


View all collections in Virology Journal.

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  1. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron has demonstrated decreased pathogenicity, yet a few individuals suffer severe pneumonia from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection; ...

    Authors: Zhan Li, Min Peng, Linlin Cheng, ZiRan Wang, Ziyan Wu, Futai Feng, Xinxin Feng, Siyu Wang, Ye Guo and Yongzhe Li
    Citation: Virology Journal 2025 22:89
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. COVID-19 appears to have a progression of three stages. The latter stage is characterized by a high level of cytokine release, which in turn triggers an uncontrolled reaction known as cytokine storm where mast...

    Authors: Juan Francisco Delgado de la Poza, Albert Rodrigo Parés, Isabel Aparicio-Calvente, Indira Bhambi Blanco, Jordi Gratacòs Masmitjà, Antoni Berenguer-Llergo and Joan Calvet Fontova
    Citation: Virology Journal 2025 22:58
    Content type: Brief Report Published on:

  3. This study involved laboratory experiments using conventional PCR to detect the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase protein (RdRp) and Envelope (E) genes in Forty-Seven nasopharyngeal swab samples from COVID-19 patients...

    Authors: Rania Ali El Hadi Mohamed, Shikha Fahad Alojayan, Albandary Nasser Alsaloom, Sheka Yagub Aloyouni, Khawlah Aldilaijan and Sarah Abdullah Ababtain
    Citation: Virology Journal 2025 22:43
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Porcine circoviruses 3 (PCV3) and 4 (PCV4) are emerging pathogens with global implications for swine industry, disturbing the diagnosis of PCVs associated diseases due to a range of similar clinical symptoms a...

    Authors: Renjie Sun, Hanze Liu, Siqi Sun, Yating Wang, Ying Shan, Xiaoliang Li, Weihuan Fang, Yongle Yang, Ronghui Xie and Lingyan Zhao
    Citation: Virology Journal 2025 22:23
    Content type: Methodology Published on:

  5. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency, and SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia poses significant challenges to health systems worldwide. Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are a special gro...

    Authors: Sai Zhang, Xiang Ding, Chunmi Geng and Hong Zhang
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:315
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. The Hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) has been used as a carrier of several heterologous protein fragments based on its capacity to form virus-like particles (VLPs) and to activate innate and adaptive immune re...

    Authors: Yadira Lobaina, Alexis Musacchio, Panchao Ai, Rong Chen, Edith Suzarte, Glay Chinea, Miaohong Zhang, Zhiqiang Zhou, Yaqin Lan, Ricardo Silva, Gerardo Guillén, Ke Yang, Wen Li, Yasser Perera and Lisset Hermida
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:310
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has not only affected humans but also raised concerns about its transmission to wild animals, potentially creating natural reservoirs. Understanding these dynamics is critical...

    Authors: Anisleidy Pérez Castillo, João Victor Oliveira Miranda, Paula Luize Camargos Fonseca, Rennan Garcias Moreira, Luiza Campos Guerra de Araújo e Santos, Daniel Costa Queiroz, Diego Menezes Bonfim, Carlyle Mendes Coelho, Paula Cristina Senra Lima, Rafael Otávio Cançado Motta, Herlandes Penha Tinoco, Júlia Angélica Gonçalves da Silveira and Renato Santana Aguiar
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:297
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. The metabolomic profiles of individuals with different clinical manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have not been clearly characterized.

    Authors: Qi Xin, Xiao Liang, Jin Yang, Xiaorui Wang, Fang Hu, Meng Jiang, Yijia Liu, Jin Gong, Yiwen Pan, Lijuan Liu, Jiao Xu, Yuxin Cui, Hongyu Qin, Han Bai, Yixin Li, Junpeng Ma…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:266
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most significant health challenge of the last century. Multiple and successive waves of COVID-19 cases, driven particularly by the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, have ...

    Authors: Pérola Rodrigues dos Santos, Uener Ribeiro dos Santos, Íris Terezinha Santos de Santana Silva, Hllytchaikra Ferraz Fehlberg, Fabrício Barbosa Ferreira, George Rego Albuquerque, Ana Paula Melo Mariano, Murillo Ferreira da Silva, Leonardo Santos Lemos, Karoline Almeida Piton, Mylene de Melo Silva, Renato Fontana, Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar, Lauro Juliano Marin and Sandra Rocha Gadelha
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:260
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Convalescent plasma (CP) collected from people who recovered from COVID-19 became a rapidly available treatment modality in numerous countries, including the Czech Republic. The aims of our study were to evalu...

    Authors: Miloš Bohoněk, Jan Máca, Jiří Sagan, David Řezáč, Viktor Fridrich, Anna Burantová, Dominik Kutáč, Pavel Vabroušek, Jan Kubů, Aleš Chrdle, Kateřina Volfová, Šárka Blahutová, Ivan Rychlík, Kateřina Vonášková, Radek Majerčin, Radka Králová…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:239
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute-phase protein that belongs to the pentraxin family, which plays an important role in the body’s defense against pathogens. PTX3 levels have been associated with inflammatory proc...

    Authors: Milena Xavier Silva Barbosa, Anderson da Costa Armstrong, Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza and Rodrigo Feliciano do Carmo
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:233
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces immune-mediated diseases. The pathophysiology of COVID-19 uses the following three mechanisms: (1) inflammasome activation mechanism; (2) cG...

    Authors: Jong Hoon Lee, Consolato Sergi, Richard E. Kast, Badar A. Kanwar, Jean Bourbeau, Sangsuk Oh, Mun-Gi Sohn, Chul Joong Lee and Michael D. Coleman
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:228
    Content type: Review Published on:

  17. Conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study investigates the association between UDCA administration and COVID-19 infecti...

    Authors: Sang Yi Moon, Minkook Son, Yeo Wool Kang, Myeongseok Koh, Jong Yoon Lee and Yang Hyun Baek
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:202
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Natural infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or vaccination triggers antibody production against key viral antigens. However, there is limited evidence on the levels of a...

    Authors: Chala Bashea, Addisu Gize, Tadesse Lejisa, Demiraw Bikila, Betselot Zerihun, Feyissa Challa, Daniel Melese, Alganesh Gebreyohanns, Kasahun Gorems, Solomon Ali, Gadissa Bedada Hundie, Habteyes Hailu Tola and Wondewosen Tsegaye
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:192
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. The global outbreak of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has led to millions of deaths. This unanticipated emergency has prompted virologists across the globe to delve deeper into the intricate dynamicity of t...

    Authors: Arpita Mukherjee, Mahadeb Lo, Pritam Chandra, Ratul Datta Chaudhuri, Papiya De, Shanta Dutta and Mamta Chawla-Sarkar
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:186
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. This study aimed to demonstrate that the genomic material of SARS-CoV-2 can be isolated from strips of COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test cassettes.

    Authors: Alpha Kabiné Keita, Aminata Mbaye, Abdoul Karim Soumah, Kadio Jean Jacques Olivier Kadio, Haby Diallo, Thibaut Armel Chérif Gnimadi, Joel Balla Koivogui, Moriba Kowa Povogui, Jean Louis Monemou, Baba Traore, Nicole Vidal, Emilande Guichet, Ahidjo Ayouba, Eric Delaporte, Martine Peeters, Abdoulaye Toure…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:171
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. Canine enteric coronavirus (CECoV) is a prevalent infectious disease among dogs worldwide, yet its epidemiology in mainland China remains poorly understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to as...

    Authors: Chaoyang Chen, Xiaoxia Ji, Tingting Zhang, Lin Ge, Mengting Sun, Mengting Yang and Cheng Li
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:155
    Content type: Review Published on:

  22. Omicron variants are currently the predominant circulating lineage worldwide and most cases are mild or asymptomatic. The Omicron variant is characterized by high transmissibility and immune evasion. Early ide...

    Authors: Suqin Ben, Fengying Gao, Ziheng Xu, Rulin Zhang, Xingyi Zhang, Ning Wang, Min Zhang and Lili Hou
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:143
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in high-risk groups such as kidney transplant and dialysis patients is shown to be associated with a more serious course of the disease. Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pan...

    Authors: Caroline De Bouver, Jason Bouziotis, Veerle P. W. M. Wijtvliet, Kevin K. Ariën, Joachim Mariën, Leo Heyndrickx, Marie M. Couttenye, Hans J. W. de Fijter, Fabienne Mestrez, Serge Treille, Olivier Mat, Frederic Collart, Sabine D. Allard, Lies Vingerhoets, Pieter Moons, Daniel Abramowicz…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:138
    Content type: Research Published on:

  25. The coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019 has caused the highest mortality and morbidity rates worldwide. Data on the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is scarce...

    Authors: Raheleh Heydari, Mohammad Javad Tavassolifar, Sara Fayazzadeh, Omid Sadatpour and Anna Meyfour
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:134
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. The envelope (E) protein of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a key protein for virus infection and adsorption of host cells, which determines the virulence of the virus and regulates the intensity of i...

    Authors: Rong Huang, Yajing He, Chenghua Zhang, Yue Luo, Chen Chen, Ning Tan, Yang Ren, Kui Xu, Lei Yuan and Jian Yang
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:128
    Content type: Research Published on:

  27. During the pandemic, whole genome sequencing was critical to characterize SARS-CoV-2 for surveillance, clinical and therapeutical purposes. However, low viral loads in specimens often led to suboptimal sequenc...

    Authors: Alba Cerro-Monje, Sergio Buenestado-Serrano, Rosalía Palomino-Cabrera, Andrea Molero-Salinas, Marta Herranz, Roberto Alonso, Pilar Catalán, Patricia Muñoz, Darío García de Viedma and Laura Pérez-Lago
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:121
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. Few studies have compared patient characteristics, clinical management, and outcome of patients with COVID-19 between the different epidemic waves. In this study, we describe patient characteristics, treatment...

    Authors: Andreas De Paepe, Erika Vlieghe, Nele Brusselaers, Patrick Soentjens, Caroline Theunissen, Isabel Brosius, Jeroen Grouwels, Lida Van Petersen, Hanne van Tiggelen, Walter Verbrugghe, Philippe G Jorens, Thérèse Lapperre, Karen Peeters, Griet Vermeulen and Sabrina H van Ierssel
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:119
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has developed various strategies to evade the antiviral impact of type I IFN. Non-structural proteins and auxiliary proteins have been extensively researched on their role i...

    Authors: Xinyi Kong, Qinjin Wang, Xumeng Wang, Kaming Yang, Shuping Nie, Yuetong Li, Wanwen Lao, Xin Yu, Yanping Zhang, Zhenlin Li, Yang Liu, Jie Ning, Yan Wang, Changlong Bi, Chao Wu and Aixia Zhai
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:109
    Content type: Research Published on:

  30. Multiple studies have provided evidence of suboptimal or poor immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cel...

    Authors: Leyla Sharifi Aliabadi, Mojtaba Azari, Mohammad Reza Taherian, Maryam Barkhordar, Syed Aon Mehdi Abbas, Morteza Azari, Mohammad Ahmadvand, Zahra Salehi, Shiva Rouzbahani and Mohammad Vaezi
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:103
    Content type: Review Published on:

  31. There is still limited research on the prognostic value of Presepsin as a biomarker for predicting the outcome of COVID-19 patients. Additionally, research on the combined predictive value of Presepsin with cl...

    Authors: Zhipeng Wu, Nan Geng, Zhao Liu, Wen Pan, Yueke Zhu, Jing Shan, Hongbo Shi, Ying Han, Yingmin Ma and Bo Liu
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:96
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a significant worldwide health emergency known as the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has been marked by the widespread of various variants, with certain ones causin...

    Authors: Nishad Sultana, S. N. Nagesha, C. N. Lakshminarayana Reddy, B. N. Ramesh, S. Shyamalamma, K. S. Shashidhara, K. M. Satish, C. Pradeep and G. D Vidyadhar
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:88
    Content type: Research Published on:

  33. PlMERS-CoV is a coronavirus known to cause severe disease in humans, taxonomically classified under the subgenus Merbecovirus. Recent findings showed that the close relatives of MERS-CoV infecting vespertillionid...

    Authors: Jarel Elgin Tolentino, Spyros Lytras, Jumpei Ito and Kei Sato
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:84
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are two major respiratory pathogens that cocirculate in humans and cause serious illness with the potential to exacerbate disease in the event of co-infection. To develop a bivalent va...

    Authors: Ekaterina Stepanova, Irina Isakova-Sivak, Daria Mezhenskaya, Sergei Niskanen, Victoria Matyushenko, Ekaterina Bazhenova, Alexandra Rak, Pei Fong Wong, Polina Prokopenko, Tatiana Kotomina, Elena Krutikova, Sergei Legotskiy, Bogdan Neterebskii, Tatiana Ostroukhova, Konstantin Sivak, Yana Orshanskaya…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:82
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. Besides the well-established efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19, the impact of early treatments, namely antivirals and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), on the time length to negativization of SARS-CoV-2 nasal...

    Authors: Marta Colaneri, Giovanni Scaglione, Federico Fassio, Lucia Galli, Alessia Lai, Annalisa Bergna, Arianna Gabrieli, Maciej Tarkowski, Carla Della Ventura, Valeria Colombo, Laura Cordier, Davide Bernasconi, Mario Corbellino, Gianfranco Dedivitiis, Silvia Borghetti, Debora Visigalli…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:68
    Content type: Brief Report Published on:

  36. Canine enteric coronavirus (CCV) and canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) are the main pathogens responsible for acute gastroenteritis in dogs, and both single and mixed infections are common. This study aimed to ...

    Authors: Laiqing Li, Cuicui Chen, Huankun Liang, Wenqi Dong, V. N. Leontiev and Igor Vitalievich Voytov
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:64
    Content type: Methodology Published on:

  38. The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Data from the COVID-19 clinical control case studies showed tha...

    Authors: Nozethu Mjokane, Eric O. Akintemi, Saheed Sabiu, Onele M. N. Gcilitshana, Jacobus Albertyn, Carolina H. Pohl and Olihile M. Sebolai
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:58
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. Several in silico studies have determined that quercetin, a plant flavonol, could bind with strong affinity and low free energy to SARS-CoV-2 proteins involved in viral entry and replication, suggesting it could ...

    Authors: Annie V. Roy, Michael Chan, Logan Banadyga, Shihua He, Wenjun Zhu, Michel Chrétien and Majambu Mbikay
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:29
    Content type: Research Published on:

  41. Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza virus is still a major worldwide health concern. Plants are a good source of bioactive compounds to be used as preventive...

    Authors: Wipawee Nittayananta, Hatairat Lerdsamran, Nopporn Chutiwitoonchai, Aornrutai Promsong, Teerapol Srichana, Kesinee Netsomboon, Jarunee Prasertsopon and Jaruta Kerdto
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:26
    Content type: Research Published on:

  42. Previous meta-analyses estimating the prevalence of the post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) were confounded by the lack of negative control groups. This may result in an overestimation of the prevalence of those exp...

    Authors: Ahmed Azzam, Heba Khaled, Neveen Refaey, Shorouk Mohsen, Ola Ali El-Emam, Nada Dawood, Hebatalla A. Ahmed, Omar A. Soliman, Sana Mostafa, Heba Ramadan, Maha Mosa, Amora Omar Ibrahim Elmowafy, Shimaa Mohamed Abdou Rizk, Ahmed Zaki, Mostafa Hussien, Ameer Ahmed…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:16
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is driven by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which has led to an enormous burden on patient morbidity and mortality. The...

    Authors: Christian M. Zobel, Hartmut Kuhn, Maximilian Schreiner, Werner Wenzel, Jasper Wendtland, Cengiz Goekeri, Lorenz Scheit, Klaas Oltmanns, Dominic Rauschning, Marica Grossegesse, Natalie Hofmann, Hubert Wirtz and Sebastian Spethmann
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:15
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. In December 2022, Chongqing experienced a significant surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic after adjusting control measures in China. Given the widespread immunization of the population with t...

    Authors: Fangyuan Liu, Peng Deng, Jiuhong He, Xiaofeng Chen, Xinyu Jiang, Qi Yan, Jing Xu, Sihan Hu and Jin Yan
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:13
    Content type: Research Published on:

  45. Only few studies have investigated the prevalence of feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection in domestic cats in Fujian, China. This is the first study to report the prevalence rate of FCoV infection in domestic c...

    Authors: Bo Dong, Xiaodong Zhang, Xiaowei Zhong, Wenqian Hu, Zhihui Lin, Shuo Zhang, Haiyan Deng and Weiming Lin
    Citation: Virology Journal 2024 21:2
    Content type: Brief Report Published on:

  46. Morbidity and mortality are higher in immunocompromised patients affected by COVID-19 than in the general population. Some authors have successfully used antiviral combination, but never in the early phase of ...

    Authors: Ivan Gentile, Maria Foggia, Maria Silvitelli, Alessia Sardanelli, Letizia Cattaneo and Giulio Viceconte
    Citation: Virology Journal 2023 20:301
    Content type: Brief Report Published on:

  47. To assess SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and titers in people living with HIV (PLWHIV) on antiretroviral treatment (ART) enrolled at a tertiary reference hospital in Mexico.

    Authors: Maribel Soto-Nava, Vanessa Dávila-Conn, Juan P. Venancio-Rocha, Pedro García-Esparza, Daniela Tapia-Trejo, Ramón Hernández-Juan, Eduardo Zarza-Sánchez, Akio Murakami-Ogasawara and Santiago Ávila-Ríos
    Citation: Virology Journal 2023 20:300
    Content type: Research Published on:

  48. The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has challenged the effectiveness of current therapeutic regimens. Here, we aimed to develop a potent SARS-CoV-2 antibody w...

    Authors: Hae Li Ko, Deuk-ki Lee, Younghyeon Kim, Hui Jeong Jang, Youn Woo Lee, Ho-Young Lee, Sang-Hyuk Seok, Jun Won Park, Jin-Kyung Limb, Da In On, Jun-Won Yun, Kwang-Soo Lyoo, Daesub Song, Minjoo Yeom, Hanbyeul Lee, Je Kyung Seong…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2023 20:285
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. In a randomized trial, Lianhuaqingwen (LHQW) capsule was effective for accelerating symptom recovery among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the lack of blinding and limited sample si...

    Authors: Jin-ping Zheng, Yun Ling, Liang-shuang Jiang, Piroon Mootsikapun, Hong-zhou Lu, Methee Chayakulkeeree, Li-xiu Zhang, Pureepat Arttawejkul, Feng-yu Hu, Thi Ngoc Lan Truong, Roxan A. Perez, Xing Gu, Hui-min Sun, Jian-jie Jiang, Ren-jie Liu, Zhen Ding…
    Citation: Virology Journal 2023 20:277
    Content type: Research Published on:

  50. The possibilities of cross-species transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) between humans and important livestock species are not yet known. Herein, we used the structural ...

    Authors: Ying Ma, Mengyue Lei, Hongli Chen, Pu Huang, Jing Sun, Qiangming Sun, Yunzhang Hu and Jiandong Shi
    Citation: Virology Journal 2023 20:276
    Content type: Research Published on: