As the globe gets warmer, the danger that disease-causing bacteria, viruses and microorganisms (which have the common name pathogens), is to be brought back to life from the past.
– The biggest concern is pathogens that have previously caused serious diseases in humans or animals, which can reactivate and spread again, says Jörn Klein, professor of microbiology, epidemiology and infection control at USN, to Dagbladet.
PROFESSOR: Jörn Klein is a professor at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Southeast Norway. Photo: USN Show more
There are already examples of this happening, he says.
– We know that pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax, can survive in permafrost for thousands of years. In 2016, there was an outbreak of anthrax among reindeer in Siberia, where 2,000 animals and one person died, he tells Dagbladet.
– Is it likely that there are potentially dangerous pathogens in, for example, Norwegian glaciers?
– It is possible, but depends on the history of the glaciers and what may have been trapped in them. Research and sampling would be necessary to give a concrete answer, Klein replies.
Died of anthrax from the permafrost
The study
In an effort to understand the possible ecological effects of what we may have in store, an international team of researchers digitally modeled the interactions between an ancient virus and modern bacteria in a recent study, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.
Through tens of thousands of interactions, the team tracked how the virus affected species diversity in a bacterial community.
The study concluded that about 1 percent of the ancient viruses caused major disruptions in the digital ecosystems. Either it increased diversity by up to 12 percent, or vice versa; reduced species diversity by 32 percent.
The viral invaders not only survived, but also evolved over time, throwing the system out of balance, writes CNN.
Scientists resurrected prehistoric parasite
– Many possibilities
Professor Klein describes the study in PLOS as both thorough and innovative.
– Although most conserved pathogens can survive and develop in modern ecosystems, it is interesting to see that only a small percentage of them actually lead to significant changes in species diversity, he says.
That only one percent of the pathogens caused disturbances may seem small, admits director Corey Bradshaw, at the Global Ecology Laboratory at Flinders University in Australia, but further points out that the number of cells that disappear from the permafrost every year is 4 sextillion.
That’s 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or as CNN writes – more than the number of stars in the galaxy.
– It is a number most people cannot understand. There are so many, many possibilities for this to happen. The probability is small for a single virus, but there are so many potential ones, says Bradshaw to CNN.
Anthrax: One of the bacteria that is feared to be revived is Bacillus Anthracis – better known as anthrax. Photo: Medical/UIG/REX/NTB Show more
– Happening now
Professor Klein believes it is likely that some of the pathogens in the permafrost can cause significant changes in ecosystems, either by reducing or increasing species diversity.
– This can happen if the permafrost thaws and releases these pathogens, and they can then come into contact with susceptible hosts, he says.
– Is this something that is about to happen now?
– Yes, with ongoing climate change, the permafrost is thawing at an increasing pace, and this can potentially release old pathogens.
According to him, it seems that researchers internationally are taking this risk seriously now, given the research and discussion that is taking place around the subject.
– Nevertheless, greater public attention and measures may be necessary to prepare for potential threats in Norway, he says.
PERMAFROST: Some of the pathogens can be tens of thousands of years old, and originate from times before they were trapped in the permafrost, says Klein. The image shows permafrost in the Territories, Canada. Photo: Rick Bowmer/ NTB Show more
Resistant
Prevention, monitoring and research are the key here, he believes.
– Understanding which pathogens may be present in permafrost, and having monitoring systems in place, can help us act quickly should an outbreak occur.
According to Klein, perhaps the biggest and most immediate danger lies within antimicrobial resistance. There has been growing concern among researchers and health professionals worldwide regarding bacteria that are resistant to several of the available antibiotics.
– If the permafrost were to release old bacteria that carry resistance genes, they could potentially spread these genes to current strains of bacteria, which could worsen the already critical situation with antibiotic resistance, he says.
– This resistance can make it more difficult to treat common infections and increase mortality from diseases that were previously easy to treat, adds the professor.
PERMAFROST
Where there is frost on the ground all year round, it is permafrost.
Permafrost is thermally defined: The temperature in the ground (soil or rock, which may also include ice and organic material) must remain at or below 0 °C for at least two consecutive years for a place to have permafrost.
About a quarter of the Earth’s land surface in the Northern Hemisphere today has permafrost. It is mainly found in polar regions, but also in high mountain areas around the world.
In Norway, permafrost is primarily found in the mountains and in some bogs with characteristic mounds or ridges that have a core of ice.
Source: Cryo.met
Not worried about the risk of infection
In the past, there have been reports of researchers who have uncovered so-called “zombie viruses”, a term given to the viruses because they can apparently rise from the dead.
In connection with a study from 2022, European scientists wanted to prove that “zombie viruses” released from the melting permafrost could be a potential threat to humans.
It should be said that the virus examined in the current study only infected unicellular organisms.
The researchers nevertheless believed that there is a risk that the permafrost hides viruses that can be spread to both humans and other animals.
2023-08-26 09:53:23
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