IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jchals/v13y2022i2p52-d949232.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

SARS-CoV-2 in Soil: A Microbial Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honghe 654400, 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
    Honghe Centre for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honghe 654400, China
    East and Central Asia Regional Office, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), 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
    Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 117198 Moscow, Russia
    Institute of Environmental Sciences, Kazan Federal University, 420049 Kazan, Russia)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Shahid Iqbal & Jianchu Xu & Sehroon Khan & Sadia Nadir & Yakov Kuzyakov, 2022. "SARS-CoV-2 in Soil: A Microbial Perspective," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-6, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jchals:v:13:y:2022:i:2:p:52-:d:949232
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/13/2/52/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/13/2/52/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jchals:v:13:y:2022:i:2:p:52-:d:949232. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.