Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic
Using new and original nineteenth-century sources, we analysed the epidemiology, clinical features 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 we believe to ha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Infectious Disease Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/14/3/49 |
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| author | Anton Erkoreka Josu Hernando-Pérez Juan Ayllon |
| author_facet | Anton Erkoreka Josu Hernando-Pérez Juan Ayllon |
| author_sort | Anton Erkoreka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using new and original nineteenth-century sources, we analysed the epidemiology, clinical features 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 we believe to have been based on insufficient knowledge of the causative agent and instead posit that the pandemic was caused by a coronavirus. We provide a new account of the 1889–1893 pandemic, with a more detailed chronology that included at least four epidemiological waves. At the end of 1889, a new virus appeared in Europe, which could be identified as the coronavirus HCoV-OC43, causing crude death rates of 1.3 per 1000 population in St Petersburg; 2.1 per 1000 in Paris; 2.8 per 1000 in Bilbao and on the French–Spanish border; between 2.9 and 5.2 per 1000 in small towns in the Basque Country; and 5.8 deaths per 1000 in Madrid, which had the highest death rate. The clinical features of 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 considered was 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’ (<i>céphalalgie gravative</i>), tiredness, fever and delirium. There are strong parallels between the 1889–1894 pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a better understanding of the former may therefore help us to better manage the latter. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:38:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc5fe62795304f19a6b0f61081ab3fbd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2036-7449 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:38:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Infectious Disease Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc5fe62795304f19a6b0f61081ab3fbd2023-11-23T16:56:58ZengMDPI AGInfectious Disease Reports2036-74492022-06-0114345346910.3390/idr14030049Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 PandemicAnton Erkoreka0Josu Hernando-Pérez1Juan Ayllon2Basque Museum of the History of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa, SpainBasque Museum of the History of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa, SpainDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, SpainUsing new and original nineteenth-century sources, we analysed the epidemiology, clinical features 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 we believe to have been based on insufficient knowledge of the causative agent and instead posit that the pandemic was caused by a coronavirus. We provide a new account of the 1889–1893 pandemic, with a more detailed chronology that included at least four epidemiological waves. At the end of 1889, a new virus appeared in Europe, which could be identified as the coronavirus HCoV-OC43, causing crude death rates of 1.3 per 1000 population in St Petersburg; 2.1 per 1000 in Paris; 2.8 per 1000 in Bilbao and on the French–Spanish border; between 2.9 and 5.2 per 1000 in small towns in the Basque Country; and 5.8 deaths per 1000 in Madrid, which had the highest death rate. The clinical features of 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 considered was 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’ (<i>céphalalgie gravative</i>), tiredness, fever and delirium. There are strong parallels between the 1889–1894 pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a better understanding of the former may therefore help us to better manage the latter.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/14/3/491889–1894 pandemiccoronavirusHCoV-OC43influenzavirus A/H1N1A/H2N2A/H3N8 |
| spellingShingle | Anton Erkoreka Josu Hernando-Pérez Juan Ayllon Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic Infectious Disease Reports 1889–1894 pandemic coronavirus HCoV-OC43 influenzavirus A/H1N1 A/H2N2 A/H3N8 |
| title | Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic |
| title_full | Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic |
| title_short | Coronavirus as the Possible Causative Agent of the 1889–1894 Pandemic |
| title_sort | coronavirus as the possible causative agent of the 1889 1894 pandemic |
| topic | 1889–1894 pandemic coronavirus HCoV-OC43 influenzavirus A/H1N1 A/H2N2 A/H3N8 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/14/3/49 |
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