Waking up of Frozen Pathogens

In News : The Earth’s climate is rapidly warming, especially in colder regions like the Arctic, up to four times faster. This acceleration may result in the annual release of about four sextillion microorganisms due to melting ice.

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Let’s Revise Basics:
- What are Pathogens?
- Why is Biological Invasion?
Discovery is not entirely unprecedented

Let’s Revise Basics:

What are Pathogens?

A Pathogen is usually defined as a microorganism that causes or can cause disease.
Types of Pathogens:
- Viruses: Viruses are made up of a piece of genetic code such as DNA or RNA, and protected by a coating of protein. Once you’re infected, viruses invade host cells within your body. They then use the components of the host cell to replicate, producing more viruses.
- Bacteria: Bacteria are microorganisms made of a single cell. They have the ability to live in just about any environment including in and on your body. Not all bacteria cause infections. Pathogenic bacteria are those that can cause diseases. Doctors use antibiotics to treat bacterial infections.
- Fungi: Fungi are present in the environment almost everywhere, including indoors, outdoors, and on human skin. They cause infection when they overgrow.
- Parasites: Parasites are organisms that behave like tiny animals, living in or on a host and feeding from or at the expense of the host. Though parasitic infections are more common in tropical and subtropical regions, they can occur anywhere.

Why is Biological Invasion?

Biological invasions are a major force of change, affecting many dimensions of life on Earth. Invasions result when species colonize new geographic regions, which are disjunct (isolated) from existing populations.

Discovery is not entirely unprecedented

Researchers have warned that ancient pathogens, frozen for millennia in glaciers, ice caps, and permafrost, could emerge due to global warming as the ice melts and they could pose a significant threat.
Researchers used a software called Avida to simulate the release of one type of ancient pathogen into modern biological communities.
- In 2003: Bacteria revived from a 750,000-year-old ice core sample on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.
- In 2014: A “zombie” Pithovirus sibericum virus revived from 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost.
- In 2016: Anthrax outbreak in western Siberia linked to rapid thawing of Bacillus anthracis spores in permafrost.
- Thawing permafrost poses potential risks of ancient pathogens resurfacing and causing outbreaks.

Result of Discoveries:

Alarming results: Simulated releases of 1% of a single dormant pathogen could cause widespread environmental damage.
Loss of host organisms globally: Such releases could lead to widespread loss of host organisms worldwide.
Potential threat to biodiversity: Biological invasions pose a significant risk to biodiversity.
Emergent pathogens: Novel, emergent pathogens can arise from such invasions.
Economic costs: These invasions can lead to substantial economic burdens for human societies.
No human risk modeling: Researchers didn’t model the potential risk to humans.

What are the Effects of Raising Earth’s climate on Pathogens?

Alarming climate warming: The Earth’s climate is rapidly warming, especially in colder regions like the Arctic, up to four times faster.
Melting ice release: This acceleration may result in the annual release of about four sextillion microorganisms from melting ice.
Potential infection risk: These microorganisms include pathogens with the potential to infect modern species.

What are the potential risks of ice-bound pathogens?

Zoonotic pathway: They highlighted the possibility of ice-bound viruses entering the human population via zoonotic transmission.
Past virus transmission: Viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and HIV likely originated from contact with animal hosts.
Low likelihood of extinctions: The study emphasizes that we should not ignore the low probability of pathogen-induced extinctions.
Preparedness needed: Society must understand these risks to effectively prepare for them.
Unexplored ecological relevance: The ecological impact of time-travelling invaders remains largely unexplored, especially at the community level.