Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Not so long ago, scientists discovered a “zombie virus” in frozen lands or permafrost in Siberia, Russia. Unlike most remaining ice, the frozen land harbors live viruses that still have the potential to become infectious pathogens.
When climate change occurs, these germs stuck in the permafrost begin to thaw. Scientists say melting permafrost due to climate change could pose a new threat to humans and animals.
According to published studies bioRxiv, researchers resuscitated and bundled 13 more than 48,500-year-old pathogens that they called “zombie viruses.” However, this study has not yet been peer-reviewed and is still in the preprint stage.
Epidemics caused by permafrost are unprecedented. The researchers determined that each of the viruses extracted from the cold thaw surface of Siberia was different from all known existing viruses in terms of genome.
Can this virus infect humans?
According to research published in 2021 in the journal Frontiers in veterinary science, viruses may pose a threat to public health, although more studies are needed to assess the risk of the unknown pathogen.
In closed laboratory studies, the scientists carefully thawed the microbe and sequenced its genome. Then, the researchers infected the amoeba’s cells with a virus. Despite being up to 48,000 years old, some viruses are able to replicate within amoebas, blinding them, opening up, and releasing new virus particles.
“[Virus] the ones we revived weren’t dangerous at all; they only infect amoebas. But their existence and infectivity show that the ancient viruses that infected animals/humans were still contagious,” said Jean-Michel Claverie, one of the authors of the new study. Live science in email.
Researchers focused on viruses that infect amoebas because amoebas make good model organisms and because there would be little risk of accidental release for laboratory technicians.
However, if one of these strains manages to escape the eternal ice and infect humans, a modern vaccine is likely to provide some protection.
The greatest risk, according to the authors, comes from an unknown virus. Like SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, it has the potential to spread rapidly through populations that lack natural immunity, triggering a pandemic.
(hsy/hsy)
