Title: New coronavirus is the cause of atypical pneumonia

Abstract
A new coronavirus is responsible for atypical pneumonia. Several complete genomes of this virus have already been sequenced. This virus is different to all known coronaviruses, either animal or human. All the sequenced genomes display a high degree of identity, confirming a unique source of infection, which originated in China. It is not known at the present why this virus is associated to this high rate of mortality.

Keys words: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - atypical pneumonia – coronavirus- virus

Introducción

Desde Septiembre de 2002 surge un brote epidémico de neumonía atípica en la Provincia de Guangdong en China. Las autoridades sanitarias y científicos de distintos países se abocan a la tarea de identificar el agente etiológico de esta grave enfermedad. Se piensa inicialmente en un paramixovirus, en una chlamydia. Finalmente en Abril de 2003 se identifica en forma definitiva un nuevo coronavirus como causante de esta epidemia.