SARS-CoV-2 in Soil: A Microbial Perspective

Shahid Iqbal (), Jianchu Xu, Sehroon Khan, Sadia Nadir and Yakov Kuzyakov
Additional contact information
Shahid Iqbal: Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
Jianchu Xu: Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
Sehroon Khan: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Science and Technology Bannu, Bannu 28100, Pakistan
Sadia Nadir: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Science and Technology Bannu, Bannu 28100, Pakistan
Yakov Kuzyakov: Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Goettingen, 37077 Goettingen, Germany

Challenges, 2022, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-6

Abstract: SARS-CoV-2 has been found in soil and aquatic environments in addition to aerosols. SARS-CoV-2 enters the soil from various sources, including organic amendments and waste irrigation water. The virus counts and virulence in soil depend on spillover routes and soil properties. Organic matter (OM) and clay minerals protect and enable SARS-CoV-2 to survive for longer periods in soil. Therefore, life forms residing in soil may be at risk, but there is a paucity of scientific interest in such interactions. With this perspective, we aim to provide a new viewpoint on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on soil microbes. In particular, we present a conceptual model showing how successive mutations within soil animals having the SARS-CoV-2 receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may change its characteristics and, thus, enable it to infect micro- and macroorganisms and be transferred by them. SARS-CoV-2 particles could be adsorbed on mineral or OM surfaces, and these surfaces could serve as encounter sites for infectious attacks. SARS-CoV-2 accumulation in soil over time can perturb bacteria and other microbes, leading to imbalances in microbial diversity and activities. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 and its interactions with biotic and abiotic soil components should be a future research priority.

Keywords: microbes; soil organic matter; microbial activities; SARS-CoV-2; virus infection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/13/2/52/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/13/2/52/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jchals:v:13:y:2022:i:2:p:52-:d:949232

Access Statistics for this article

Challenges is currently edited by Ms. Karen Sun

More articles in Challenges from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().