In the midst of a new Covid-19 outbreak brought on by the SARS-CoV2 virus, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have demonstrated that viruses have annual and seasonal cycles.
The international study focused on viruses in freshwater lakes and was conducted in collaboration with a group of scientists from the universities of Texas at Austin and Wisconsin-Madison.
The researchers conducted the longest DNA-based monitoring of a natural environment on Earth, analyzing 465 freshwater lake samples from Madison, Wisconsin, that were gathered over a 20-year period using state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) technologies.
The scientists were able to recreate 1.3 million viral genomes by employing a technique known as metagenomics to sequence all of the DNA from the lakes.
Through the study, the researchers were able to discover how viruses evolve over decades, in reaction to environmental changes, and with the seasons.
According to the researchers’ article, which was published in the Nature Microbiology Journal, “viruses follow seasonal and yearly cycles, with many reappearing year after year, showing remarkable predictability.”
It is possible for viruses to “steal” genes from their hosts and exploit them for their own ends. Natural selection causes certain genes to become more prevalent as viruses change over time, they continued.
The results also demonstrated how important viruses are to ecosystems, sustaining other organisms in addition to affecting the environment.
The scientists discovered 578 instances of viral genes that support vital functions including photosynthesis and methane utilization, demonstrating the positive effects of viruses on the stability and well-being of natural systems.
The need of monitoring viruses has been shown by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is essential to comprehend how viruses arise, change, and interact with their surroundings in order to respond to pandemics and acknowledge the fundamental functions that viruses play in ecosystems. However, there aren’t many long-term studies of viral communities, especially in natural settings, according to Dr. Karthik Anantharaman, a visiting professor at IIT Madras’ Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI.
This dearth of information results in a substantial knowledge gap that makes it difficult for us to forecast how viruses may affect environmental stability and human health. Anantharaman, who is also an Associate Professor of Microbial and Viral Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, continued, “We can better prepare for future outbreaks and uncover the complex ways viruses contribute to the health of our planet by investing in long-term viral monitoring.”
The researchers added that researching viruses in freshwater systems has the potential to revolutionize public health, natural ecosystems, and water resource management.
These discoveries also pave the way for novel approaches to ecosystem management, like employing viruses to restore equilibrium in disturbed habitats like contaminated lakes.
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