Scientists warn of zombie viruses that could cause new pandemic

Group of laboratory scientists Genomic and structural information (IGS-CNRS) from Marseille, France, warned about the possibility of arrival new pandemic in future. This may be caused virus which carries frozen for over 30,000 years.

This is what Jean-Michel Claverie, a geneticist at the University of Aix-Marseille, explained. The virus in question is known as zombie virus or Pithovirus sibericum. This zombie virus was discovered by researchers from the specified laboratory in a layer of permafrost in Siberia, located in Northwestern Siberia.

Virologist Marion Koopmans wrote in The Guardian that “we don’t know what kind of virus is in permafrost, but I think there is a real risk that a virus will emerge that could trigger an outbreak of a disease such as an ancient form of polio. “We have to assume that something like this could happen,” he warned.

According to Claverie, microbes present in the Arctic could cause this situation after global warming and increased activity and the presence of ships in the area will speed up the melting and thawing process.

If the process continues defrostingmost likely these viruses and others For free and finish causing new diseases. However, the team of scientists who discovered this virus have already isolated strains of the microbe to avoid the possibility of a new global pandemic.

“At the moment, pandemic threat analysis is focused on diseases that could arise in the southern regions and then spread north. Little attention has been paid to the outbreak that could originate in the far north and then spread south, and I think that is an oversight. There are viruses there that can infect people and cause another outbreak,” Claverie said.

But not only were the strains isolated, but a surveillance network was planned in the Arctic zone where the virus was discovered so that try to determine a possible disease and be able to treat people who can get infected.

Regarding the viruses isolated in 2014, Claverie explained that “they can only infect amoebas and do not pose any danger to humans.” However, he continues, “this does not mean that other viruses currently frozen in permafrost cannot cause disease in humans. “We identified genomic footprints of poxviruses and herpesviruses, which are, for example, well-known human pathogens.”