RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic
A1 Erkoreka, Anton
A1 Hernando-Pérez, Josu
A1 Ayllón Barasoain, Juan
K1 1889-1894 pandemic
K1 Coronavirus
K1 HCoV-OC43
K1 Influenzavirus A/H1N1
K1 A/H2N2
K1 A/H3N8
K1 Russian flu
K1 History of pandemics
K1 Medicina
K1 Medicine
K1 Enfermedades infecciosas
K1 Communicable diseases
AB Using new and original nineteenth-century sources, we analysed the epidemiology, clinicalfeatures and virology of the 1889 pandemic, which was referred to at the time as ‘Russian flu’ or‘Asiatic flu’. However, we rejected this identification of the disease as an ‘influenza’, which webelieve to have been based on insufficient knowledge of the causative agent and instead posit that thepandemic was caused by a coronavirus. We provide a new account of the 1889–1893 pandemic, witha more detailed chronology that included at least four epidemiological waves. At the end of 1889, anew virus appeared in Europe, which could be identified as the coronavirus HCoV-OC43, causingcrude death rates of 1.3 per 1000 population in St Petersburg; 2.1 per 1000 in Paris; 2.8 per 1000 inBilbao and on the French–Spanish border; between 2.9 and 5.2 per 1000 in small towns in the BasqueCountry; and 5.8 deaths per 1000 in Madrid, which had the highest death rate. The clinical featuresof the disease differed from classical influenza pandemics in terms of the latency phase, duration,symptomatology, convalescence, immunity, age and death rates. Another factor to be consideredwas the neurotropic capacity of the disease. The most frequent form of the 1889 pandemic was the‘nervous form’, with specific symptoms such as ‘heavy headache’ (céphalalgie gravative), tiredness,fever and delirium. There are strong parallels between the 1889–1894 pandemic and the COVID-19pandemic, and a better understanding of the former may therefore help us to better manage the latter.
PB MDPI
YR 2022
FD 2022-06
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10259/7601
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10259/7601
LA eng
NO Research project: “El mapa de la desigualdad: las ciudades en la primera mitad del siglo XX.” PID2020-116797GB-I00. Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain. (AEI/FEDER, UE).
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
RD 25-abr-2024