Human Coronavirus NL63

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Human Coronavirus NL63 is a virus that was identified in 2003 in a child with bronchiolitis in the Netherlands.

Recent reports from several countries (Australia, Japan, Canada and Belgium) indicate that the virus has spread worldwide. The virus is found mainly in young children, elderly and immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory illness during the winter season.

Recent data suggest an association of HCoV-NL63 infection with Kawasaki disease, a systemic vasculitis in childhood that may result in aneurysms of the coronary arteries. In the developed world, Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children. Further analysis of HCoV-NL63 pathogenicity seems warranted, in particular because of recent evidence that this virus uses the same cellular receptor as SARS-CoV (ACE2).