One Health: potential synergy between infectious and toxic agents. The case of COVID-19

Abstract

Although the relationship between environmental toxicity and infectious diseases is poorly studied, it is probably more common than is recognized, since the chemical substances could be associated with pre-existing pathologies. For example, some conditions that influence the progression of COVID-19 could have toxicological causes such as cancer, endocrine, neurological, and inflammatory disorders, kidney failure, etc. This contribution highlights that SARS-CoV-2 and some high-volume organic and inorganic chemicals could also exert dysfunctions in the same homeostatic regulators such as HIF-1 and ACE2, with a potential synergistic effect that could affect the severity of COVID-19. This potential synergy is illustrated with adverse effects acquired through bioassays performed with free-living vertebrate embryos indicating that their use as sentinel organisms for environmental contamination could be beneficial both for the ecosystem and human health.