Coronavirus

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coronavirus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the genome type?Positive-sense single-stranded RNA
2. What is the primary host receptors?ACE2 (for SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2), DPP4 (for MERS-CoV)
3. How does a coronavirus get into our cells?The spike protein on the virus sticks to a special receptor on a cell, like ACE2. Then the virus fuses with the cell and releases its RNA inside.
4. Where do coronaviruses come from?Many coronaviruses live in bats. They can jump to other animals and sometimes to people.

Pathogenesis: The way a disease develops and progresses within the body.
Zoonotic Spillover: The transmission of a pathogen from a non-human animal to a human.
Phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities.
Cytokine Storm: An overreaction of the immune system causing widespread inflammation.