Biggest-ever Virus Revived from Stone Age Permafrost

A virus of unprecedented size has been discovered just a couple of days ago in Russian permafrost 30,000 years old and has just been reactivated. Dubbed a pithovirus, the virus infects amoebas but does not appear to harm human or mouse cells. Even so, now that this virus has been revived from permafrost, who knows what other viruses might be awakened? There's a good chance that there could be pathogenic viruses in the ice too, which could cause unknown diseases and cause strange symptoms. Jean-Michel Claverie, co-leader of the team that discovered the big virus, says that "thirty percent of the world's oil reserves are thought to be hidden under the permafrost, along with gold and other key minerals, so exploration is bound to increase." This means that researchers need to take careful precautions when prospecting. If people start becoming sick with strange symptoms, it will be wise to quarantine and clear them before sending them back. The pithovirus itself is very different than any known virus. At 1.5 micrometers long and 0.5 micrometers wide, it is 30 percent bigger than the previous largest virus, the pandoravirus. In order to draw out the virus, the researchers baited it with amoebas, which are known to be the primary target for big viruses. The team is now hunting for other viruses in the permafrost, but just as the writer describes it, there is a fear that reawakening these viruses may lead to unnatural pandemics and may also increase global warning by digesting organic matter and releasing greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Claverie says that his team is also planning to hunt for large viruses in much older permafrost samples, from as early as 3 million years ago, to see if any can be revived. From this article, it is clear that the writer is scared if any new viruses hidden in the permafrost were to be awakened. They could cause unknown diseases to which there may not be a cure for or worse, no way to treat the symptoms. But Claverie and his team guarantee that they will be very careful when digging in the ice and they are positive that the pithovirus is not harmful to humans at all.

Pithovirus, viewed by electron microscopy.