Not long ago scientists discovered a “zombie virus” in the frozen earth or permafrost in Siberia, Russia. Unlike most remaining ice, the frozen land harbors live viruses that still have the potential to become infectious pathogens.
An article in the journal bioRxiv titled “An update on eukaryotic viruses resurrected from ancient permafrost,” which hasn’t undergone a peer-review process, reveals that viruses are part of the organic matter that is melting in the permafrost’s frozen soil due to global warming.
Facts about the “zombie virus”
Here are some facts you need to know about the “zombie virus”:
1. Reason revived
Quoted by the Japan Post, scientists have long warned that atmospheric melting of permafrost will exacerbate climate change by releasing previously trapped greenhouse gases such as methane. However, their effect on dormant pathogens is less well known.
Therefore, scientists have revived the virus to study the potential for malignancy that may arise in the future due to global warming. In their study, they determined that the viruses that had been extracted from the cold surface of the Siberian thaw differed from all known existing viruses in terms of their genome.
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2. Paste ‘Zombie Virus’
Yedoma pandoravirus is the oldest “zombie virus” known to infect other organisms. Early in the isolation process, the virus can be seen under a light microscope.
“The ancient permafrost likely would have released this unknown virus when it thawed,” the researchers wrote, quoted by the Japan Post.
“How long these viruses can remain infectious after exposure to external conditions, and how likely they are to encounter and infect a suitable host in that range, is still unknown,” he continued.
3. Form of viruses
In biorxiv, the appearance of the “zombie virus” is shown in the six images above. Here is the explanation:
In figure A, it is a large ovoid particle about 1,000 nm (nanometers) long.
Figure B represents a mixture of Pandoravirus particles and Megavirus icosahedral particles.
Figure C is an elongated Cedratvirus particle (1,500 nm long).
Figure D is an elongated Pithovirus particle (1,900 nm long).
Figure E represents a large “hairy” icosahedral particle (770 nm in diameter).
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4. Can it 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.
“[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.
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