Abstract
Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s. The severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the
cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China and subsequently,
across the globe. As COVID-19 causes serious public health concerns
across the world, investigating the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and
its interaction with the host immune responses may help to provide a
clearer picture of the way this pathogen causes disease in some
individuals. Interestingly, SARS-CoV-2 exhibits a 80% sequence homology
with SARS-CoV-1 and 96–98% homology with coronaviruses isolated from
bats. Therefore, the experience acquired in SARS and MERS epidemics may
improve our understanding of the immune response and immunopathological
changes in COVID-19 patients. Here, we have reviewed the immune response
(including the innate and adaptive immunities) against the SARS-CoV,
MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pathogens to improve our understanding of the
concept of the disease, and enlighten the scope for developing vaccines
and medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.