Immune Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Coronavirus Disease 2019

In december 2019, unknown pneumonia appeared in wuhan, china. the virus was then identified as a beta-coronavirus and referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2). on 2 march 2020, ictv named its coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). this virus rapidly spread to many countries and regions globally because of its human-to-human transmission route. covid-19 was declared a pandemic on 11 march 2020. the average incubation period of the disease is 4 to 6 days, and the clinical features of the infection vary, ranging from asymptomatic, and mild to acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure, and in people with underlying diseases, can lead to death. the pathogenesis of covid-19 starts by binding the virus spike to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2) cellular receptor that expresses in many tissues. sars-cov-2 can manipulate the host cell's immune elements by its specific proteins to evade the antiviral responses. dysregulation in the host immune system activation can cause different disease outcomes. although the exact mechanism of covid-19 pathogenesis is still unclear, preventive and control measures are needed to inhibit the virus's rapid spreading. the present study will briefly review the different aspects of covid-19 pathogenesis.