Thawing Arctic permafrost could cause the next pandemic

A warming climate and melting Arctic isn’t a very auspicious combination, but it is for bacteria.

By Bella Wang

At times like these, it’s hard to even imagine another pandemic happening. But… is it a possibility?

The Arctic permafrost is thawing twice as fast as anywhere else on earth. In fact, climatologists predict that the Arctic might even be completely ice-free by the late 2030’s. That’s not all; particles from century-old diseases have been preserved by the permafrost. Should this be worrisome? Scientists have yet to discover active bacteria that emerged from the Arctic. However, with the rapidly changing landscape and warming climate, this can change in an instant.

Anthrax

Anthrax appeared near Siberia in 2016. An infected reindeer died and was then buried under the soil over 75 years. The soil was now loosened up and the bacteria released spores that found their way to the nearest water source. This led to two thousand reindeer infected, 115 humans hospitalized, and the death of a twelve-year-old boy. In response to this problem, over 800 000 reindeer are getting vaccinated for anthrax. Anthrax, aka Bacillus anthracis, is a serious disease that usually infects livestock and wild animals. Occasionally, as seen in the case of the young boy, it can infect humans.

Bacteria from influenza and smallpox outbreaks have also materialized from the Arctic permafrost. Many bodies were buried from the outbreaks in the Arctic region and the bacteria was preserved in the frozen permafrost. Theoretically, the bacteria could be released into the air and become able to infect organisms around it once the permafrost has thawed. Thankfully, no influenza or smallpox particles have been reported active. Knowing this, it is still important to keep vaccines for past outbreaks.

Pandoraviruses

Scientists have also discovered new-old viruses, such as the Pandoravirus which had existed approximately 30,000 years ago. Luckily, the viruses only infect single-celled amoebas. In 2014, scientists were able to revive two of the ‘giant virus’ bacteria from 100 feet underground along the coast of the tundra. Along with realizing that the Pandoravirus was one of the largest bacteria ever to be discovered, scientists were also baffled by the fact that this virus was able to create new genes and function.

Antibiotic-Resistance

A group of scientists first discovered the Paenibacillus sp. LC231 inside a Mexican mine. It was trapped in selenite crystals and immediately started to multiply when it was removed. With further investigation, it was revealed that the bacteria was resistant to 70 % of all antibiotics. With Paenibacillus, a natural antibiotic was developed to fight off other bacteria (Antibiotics are generally used to limit the growth of bacteria or to simply kill them). This is partly why the bacteria was able to stay preserved over 10,000 – 15,000 years.

Who would have expected?

Global warming is causing the arctic to thaw at an alarming pace. This will cause many problems, such as habitat destruction of many plants and animals, releasing methane (CH4) into the atmosphere, and possibly cause the next pandemic, as more bacteria “wake up”.