Microbes frozen in Tibetan glaciers ring alarm bells

A recent study in the journal Nature Biotechnology which stated that ldquonever before seen microbes locked in glacier ice could spark a wave of new pandemics when releasedrdquo has left health experts concernedDr Wiqar Shaikh professor of Medicine at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals said that he was stunned to read the paper funded by the Chinese Academy of Science published on June 27 by Chinese research scientists from Lanzhou University He said that scientists took ice samples from 21 glaciers in the Tibetan plateau and found 968 microbial species frozen in ice and that 98 per cent of these are completely new to science and could be around 10000 years oldStating that the climate crisis and global warming boosts chances of these potentially dangerous microbes leading to new pandemics he added that there is also a chance of genetic interaction between these microbes with existing ones which could prove to be even more fatal He also pointed out that the Tibetan plateau glaciers feed fresh water into several rivers in China and India the two most populated countries and added that pandemics spread quickly in populated areas Dr Shaikh also cited another study published in the journal Nature on April 28 2022 by researchers from Georgetown University in the USA which concluded that at least 10000 virus species have the ability to infect humans but are currently circulating silently in wild animals He said that because of climate change wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats most likely to regions with large human populations thus increasing the risk of viral jumps and spillovers that could lead to the next pandemicldquoWith these studies warning us of more pandemics we all need to view this matter very seriously World leaders need to sit up and take notice of these landmark studies and their rather dangerous predictions that could affect mankind very badly in the near futurerdquo he said Speaking about possible solutions he quoted an article from the journal Science published by Harvard School of Public Health in the USA which enlisted 3 ways to prevent the next pandemicmdashreducing deforestation limiting global wildlife trade and increasing surveillance and early virus detection Climate change its effectsldquoThe study of viable microorganisms in glaciers is relatively a new branch of ecological science The understanding of how bacteria and viruses spring back to life as glaciers start to melt due to climate change is not complex As glaciers all over the world are melting at an alarming rate the released microbes could travel with the meltwater into rivers and streams and reach populated areas infecting plants animals and people The glaciers in the Tibetan plateau feed several rivers that lead to densely populated regions of China and India The study of ecology is further expanding into new vistas as old bacteria and viruses that are older than 15000 years come in contact with modern organisms and humans that could lack immunity to these microorganisms causing new pandemics This also explains why the 21st Century is being labelled as the Century of Pandemicsrdquo said Dr Subhash Hira professor of global health at the University of WashingtonSeattleHe added ldquoFor example researchers had found an outbreak of anthrax in Siberia five years ago that is believed to be the result of the pathogen preserved in reindeer skeletons Frozen for decades the bodies thawed out of the ground during an exceptional heatwave releasing infectious anthrax sporesrdquoNeed more researchldquoMore research and development from the scientific community might provide more concrete evidence which might be crucial for strengthening public health systems globallyrdquo Dr Hira said Dr Jacob John veteran virologist from Tamil Nadu said ldquoWe donrsquot know much about these viruses and bacterias living in glaciers and deep seas and remote places It is important we upgrade our research and development Climate change will definitely unravel microbes we did not see in the past But I donrsquot think these can have as deadly an effect as SARSCoV2 because these are not animal bacteria or viruses like SARSCoV2rdquo968No of microbial species found