SARS-CoV-2 Portrayed against HIV: Contrary Viral Strategies in Similar Disguise

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 7; p. 1389
• Main Authors: Duerr, Ralf, Crosse, Keaton M., Valero-Jimenez, Ana M., Dittmann, Meike
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.06.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Biological activity; Biological properties; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics; COVID-19 infection; fearfulness; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Immunology; Middle East respiratory syndrome; pandemic; Pandemics; Phylogenetics; Review; RNA; RNA viruses; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Structure-function relationships; Viral diseases; viral entry; Viruses; Zoonoses; zoonotic viruses; West Africa; COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics; viral entry; SARS-CoV-2; HIV; zoonotic viruses
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071389

SARS-CoV-2 and HIV are zoonotic viruses that rapidly reached pandemic scale, causing global losses and fear. The COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics ignited massive efforts worldwide to develop antiviral strategies and characterize viral architectures, biological and immunological properties, and clinical outcomes. Although both viruses have a comparable appearance as enveloped viruses with positive-stranded RNA and envelope spikes mediating cellular entry, the entry process, downstream biological and immunological pathways, clinical outcomes, and disease courses are strikingly different. This review provides a systemic comparison of both viruses’ structural and functional characteristics, delineating their distinct strategies for efficient spread.