According to reports, some scientists are warning of the possibility of an “Arctic zombie virus” emerging in Siberia.
The claim is as follows climate change Thawing permafrost in the Arctic could release ancient viruses, putting people at risk of disease.
National Geographic defines “permafrost” as “the permanently frozen layer beneath the Earth's surface.” [that] It is composed of soil, gravel, and sand, usually held together by ice. ”
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Dr. Jean-Michel Claverie, a geneticist and professor emeritus at the Aix-Marseille University School of Medicine in the south of France, has conducted extensive research on the Arctic zombie virus, also known as the “Methuselah microbe.”
A research team discovered this in 2015. some viruses The permafrost finds are estimated to be 30,000 years old, Claveley wrote in an article published in Think Global Health on January 18.
Virologists Jean-Michel Claverie (left) and Chantal Abergel pictured in their laboratory at the Center for Informatics, Gnomics and Structures (IGS) at Aix-Marseille University on September 25, 2023 in Marseille, France. Mr. and Mrs. (Getty Images)
“It is now clear that a significant proportion of prehistoric viruses can remain infectious for even longer periods of time,” Claberry wrote.
Siberian permafrost, which has remained stable for the past 400,000 years, could be under threat due to: global warmingaccording to researchers.
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Thawing “increases the release and resurgence of permafrost microorganisms, including those from the late Pleistocene (i.e., the past 100,000 years),” Claverie wrote.
“Our species, and therefore our immune system, has never come into contact with most of these microorganisms over the course of evolution.”
Permafrost melts in the Kolyma River in Siberia, Russia, on July 6, 2019. Found at the top of the cliff. Some of the permafrost is tens of thousands of years old and is rapidly melting, exposing prehistoric bones and bones. animal. (Getty Images)
Research to date has revealed many things different types of bacteria Some common human pathogens are associated with permafrost, Claberry said.
These include Acinetobacter, Anthrax, Brucella, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Mycoplasma, various Enterobacteriaceae, Mycobacteria, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Rickettsia.
“Our species, and therefore our immune system, have never come into contact with most of these microorganisms.”
Professor Claberry said it was “reasonable to believe” that modern antibiotics could control many of these old pathogenic bacteria, but that “ancient or unknown viruses” could be released from the permafrost and cause infections. He said the situation would “become even more dire” if it did. diseases of animals and humans.
A member of a research team displays a visual on a mobile phone in the laboratory of the Information Gnomic and Structure Center (IGS) at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, on September 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, as has been well illustrated by the recent pandemic (e.g. new coronavirus and AIDS), each new virus, even those related to previously known families, requires the development of highly specific medical responses, such as new antiviral drugs and vaccines,” he said. said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Claberry for additional comment.
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Dr. Marion Koopmans, head of Erasmus MC's virus science department in the Netherlands, acknowledged that there is still documentation of hidden viruses that can infect bacteria and single-celled organisms.
“That means the possibility exists,” she told FOX News Digital via email. “In that case, we have to assume that there is also a virus that can infect humans and wildlife that could be released at some point.”
“Given that, I think it would be prudent to think through where the risk of exposure is highest and monitor the health effects there,” Koopsmans added.
A September 25, 2023 photo of virologist Jean-Michel Claverie at the Department of Informatics and Structures at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France. (Getty Images)
Dr. Edward Liu, director of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, said the permafrost virus is “a virus that has been gone for a long time now circulating among people who have never been infected.” “Once we start, it's a natural concern.”
He also told FOX News Digital, “However, the same goes for zoonotic viruses (animal viruses) that spread to humans through contact between people and animals due to demand from wet markets, and this is what the new coronavirus in China is all about.'' “It may become a source of infectious diseases.” ”
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Other potential sources include bushmeat (an African market that allows exposure to animal viruses) or simply human civilization encroaching on wildlife habitat, Liu said. added.
“In both cases, the virus enters an uninfected population, so there is no possibility of transmission. herd immunity “To delay it,” he said.
To reduce risks, Liu called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses.
Experts said other potential sources of the virus include wet markets. (St. Petersburg)
“When a new virus emerges, scientists can sequence its genetic material,” he said.
“mRNA vaccine technology is much faster to produce. new vaccine “It's better than older techniques that grow and inactivate viruses, so we can produce effective vaccines in weeks rather than years,” Liu continued.
“In both cases, the virus enters a population that has no experience with it, so there is no herd immunity to slow the virus down.”
Liu also said a system is needed to detect new outbreaks more quickly, “so we can send in experts to figure out the cause before it spreads into an epidemic.”
“Countries need to agree to allow access and avoid political interference during an outbreak,” he added.
Husband-and-wife virologists Jean-Michel Claverie (right) and Chantal Abergel work in the laboratory of the Center for Informatics, Gnomics and Structures (IGS) at the University of Aix-Marseille in the lab used to determine the 3D structure of viral proteins. We are researching an X-ray diffraction device. Marseille, France, September 25, 2023. (Getty Images)
Dr. Christian Sandrock emerging infectious diseases Researchers at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, also looked at the potential risks of frozen viruses.
“As climate change and other human-related issues emerge, we are constantly being exposed to new things,” he told FOX News Digital. “This has been happening for a long time. The real problem arises when these microorganisms are transmitted to humans and can then cause persistent infections and cause pandemics.”
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“Currently we are discovering what is out there,” he added.
“For it to be truly alarming, the infection needs to be persistent.”
One expert called for “cooperative internal research” into animal viruses and possibly permafrost viruses. (St. Petersburg)
Dr. Mark Siegel, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine New York University Langone Medical Center Fox News medical contributor says there may be a virus that can cause disease in the melting permafrost, but it may take “several steps” before causing a pandemic pointed out that it was high.
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“It would probably have to go through a lot of changes to adapt to or spread to modern hosts,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Of even greater concern is the close contact between animals and humans in Asia, which can and does lead to zoonotic disease spillover to humans,” Siegel said. Stated.
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