The kidney is one of the main targets attacked by viruses in patients with a coronavirus infection. Until now, SARS-CoV-2 has been identified as the seventh member of the coronavirus family capable of infecting humans. In the past two decades, humankind has experienced outbreaks triggered by two other extremely infective members of the coronavirus family; the MERS-CoV and the SARS-CoV. According to several investigations, SARS-CoV causes proteinuria and renal impairment or failure. The SARS-CoV was identified in the distal convoluted tubules of the kidney of infected patients. Also, renal dysfunction was observed in numerous cases of MERS-CoV infection. And recently, during the 2019-nCoV pandemic, it was found that the novel coronavirus not only induces acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) but also can induce damages in various organs including the liver, heart, and kidney. The kidney tissue and its cells are targeted massively by the coronaviruses due to the abundant presence of ACE2 and Dpp4 receptors on kidney cells. These receptors are characterized as the main route of coronavirus entry to the victim cells. Renal failure due to massive viral invasion can lead to undesirable complications and enhanced mortality rate, thus more attention should be paid to the pathology of coronaviruses in the kidney. Here, we have provided the most recent knowledge on the coronaviruses (SARS, MERS, and COVID19) pathology and the mechanisms of their impact on the kidney tissue and functions.

中文翻译：

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冠状病毒致命的内部面：SARS、MERS 和 COVID19 病毒的肾向性


肾脏是冠状病毒感染患者受到病毒攻击的主要目标之一。迄今为止，SARS-CoV-2已被确定为能够感染人类的​​冠状病毒家族的第七个成员。在过去的二十年里，人类经历了由冠状病毒家族的另外两种极具传染性的成员引发的疫情； MERS-CoV 和 SARS-CoV。根据多项调查，SARS-CoV 会导致蛋白尿和肾功能损害或衰竭。在感染患者肾脏的远曲小管中发现了 SARS-CoV。此外，在许多中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒感染病例中观察到肾功能障碍。最近，在2019-nCoV大流行期间，人们发现新型冠状病毒不仅会诱发急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS），还会引起肝、心、肾等多个器官的损害。由于肾细胞上存在丰富的 ACE2 和 Dpp4 受体，肾组织及其细胞成为冠状病毒的大量攻击目标。这些受体被认为是冠状病毒进入受害者细胞的主要途径。病毒大量入侵导致的肾衰竭可导致不良并发症并增加死亡率，因此应更加关注冠状病毒在肾脏中的病理学。在这里，我们提供了有关冠状病毒（SARS、MERS 和 COVID19）病理学及其对肾组织和功能影响机制的最新知识。