Microbial ecology and evolution is key to pandemics: using the coronavirus model to mitigate future public health challenges
Emmanuel Sunday Okeke,
Chinasa Valerie Olovo,
Ndidi Ethel Nkwoemeka,
Charles Obinwanne Okoye,
Chidiebele Emmanuel Ikechukwu Nwankwo,
Chisom Joshua Onu
Affiliations
Emmanuel Sunday Okeke
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences and Environmental Biology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Natural Sciences Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Institute of Environmental Health and Ecological Security, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 212013, PR China
Chinasa Valerie Olovo
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, PR China
Ndidi Ethel Nkwoemeka
Natural Sciences Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria
Charles Obinwanne Okoye
Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
Chidiebele Emmanuel Ikechukwu Nwankwo
Natural Sciences Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Corresponding author.
Chisom Joshua Onu
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka, 400001, Enugu State, Nigeria; Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Detroit, Michigan, 48202, USA; Corresponding author.
Pandemics are global challenges that lead to total disruption of human activities. From the inception of human existence, all pandemics have resulted in loss of human lives. The coronavirus disease caused by SAR-CoV-2 began in China and is now at the global scale with an increase in mortality and morbidity. Numerous anthropogenic activities have been implicated in the emergence and severity of pandemics, including COVID-19. These activities cause changes in microbial ecology, leading to evolution due to mutation and recombination. This review hypothesized that an understanding of these anthropogenic activities would explain the dynamics of pandemics. The recent coronavirus model was used to study issues leading to microbial evolution, towards preventing future pandemics. Our review highlighted anthropogenic activities, including deforestation, mining activities, waste treatment, burning of fossil fuel, as well as international travels as drivers of microbial evolution leading to pandemics. Furthermore, human-animal interaction has also been implicated in pandemic incidents. Our study recommends substantial control of such anthropogenic activities as having been highlighted as ways to reduce the frequency of mutation, reduce pathogenic reservoirs, and the emergence of infectious diseases.
