Melting of permafrost: rise of Zombies

Dear Editor, The emergence of new zoonotic viruses in the last few decades left the whole world at the tip of devastation. Since the beginning of the 20th century, numerous zoonotic spillovers have been observed globally due to the encroachment of nature in the name of science. Humans are continuously disrupting nature’s balance leading to climate change/global warming; enhancing the close contact between the different species residing in their native niche with mankind. The evidence of this disequilibrium is that the whole world is still in a phase to recover from the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox, and Ebola virus disease outbreak1. Recently, French scientists revived the 48,500-year-old virus from the permafrost of Siberia, Russia and named as “Zombie”2. This European team suggests that global warming exposes these viruses in the near future which may make the whole of mankind to suffer from another COVID-19-like pandemic (https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/what-is-zombie-virus-and-why-is-twitter-buzzing-about-it-15299741.htm). These scientists managed to reanimate 13 archaic viruses from the 7 samples of Siberian permafrost. namely “Pandoravirus and Pacmanvirus.” After culturing these samples it was reported that these are giant DNA viruses that can effects amoebae only. However; Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus, which is a large amoebae-infecting virus, was reported zoonotic; the causal agent of pneumonia in humans. Currently, the threat from these Zombie viruses is not yet explored; however, the zoonotic spillover of these viruses cannot be ignored. It is also suggested that these Zombie particles may trigger global public health threats in near future. As per the New York post, these newly thawed Zombies were only the tip of the iceberg, and the discovery of more hibernating deadly viruses in near future cannot be ignored. The continuous disturbance of nature by mankind reveals more discoveries and revival of ancient viruses which may show catastrophic effects on plants, animals, and humans. Climate change especially global warming irrevocably thaws enormous swathes of permafrost which leads to the release of organic matter including deadly cellular microbes as well as viruses. In addition, the organic matter released after thawing will decompose and produce more carbon dioxide and methane which will further add to the greenhouse effect and rapid melting of permafrost. The continuous thawing of permafrost will lead to a release of infectious bodies and also the infectious agents in the world. In this context, Siberia region, which had not witnessed an anthrax outbreak in more than 7 decades, one 12-year-old child died and about 100 people became ill. The scientists suggested that anthrax spores may have been discharged by a decades-old reindeer corpse that had been buried in permafrost and just become uncovered due to melting. Similarly, smallpox disease has been eradicated globally and from permafrost bodies, the DNA of this virus has been isolated. So, the main concern is the reintroduction of smallpox will lead to a huge global pandemic in naive populations; owing to the discontinuation of the vaccination. Moreover, the killer of millions in the 1918 pandemic, namely Spanish flu’s viral RNA was also isolated from the bodies of permafrost which further increase the concern3. Finally, the resurfacing of ancient viruses in permafrost has intimidated the possibility of the emergence of many new Zombies causing harm to humans, plants, and the environment. Concerns have been raised about the potential pathogenicity of these Zombies to infect other living creatures as well as the prospect of ancient viruses being discovered in other frozen habitats and being reanimated as a result of climate change. Science’s involvement in understanding and mitigating the possible effects of ancient viruses is critical, as is the need for stronger legislation and regulations to preserve the environment and human health. Scientists must continue to research and monitor the ancient viruses and other species that are being released from permafrost due to climate change. Policymakers and regulators must also act to alleviate the consequences of climate change and safeguard permafrost and other frozen areas. We can reduce the hazards associated with ancient viruses and other species released from permafrost by taking the proper approach, while simultaneously striving to safeguard the environment and human health. It is vital to note that the probability of a virus breakout from permafrost is deemed minimal, and that research should be used to understand and address the possible implications of ancient viruses discovered in permafrost; however, global warming and humans interference will cause the Zombie apocalypse in near future. Ethical approval None. Sources of funding None. Author contribution A.A. and J.R.: conceived the idea. S.K.P. and N.K.C.: retrieved the data. A.K.N.: write up of manuscript. T.B.E.: reviewed and provided inputs. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. Conflict of interest disclosures The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest with regard to the content of this report. Research registration unique identifying number (UIN) None. Guarantor Talha Bin Emran. Provenance and peer review Externally peer reviewed, not commissioned. Data statement No data sets were generated.