By Steve Zonies
Once upon a time, about 4.6 billion years ago, plus or minus several dozen million, our planet underwent accretion of nuclear-fused star stuff from distant supernovae explosions. Fast-forward about 800 million years. Whether by chance or teleological design, atoms coalesced into molecules which organized into nucleotides that formed chains of nucleic acids. These simple strands of RNA and DNA became encapsulated within protein or fatty shells, i.e., simple bags of nucleic acid. Essentially, they were very primitive viruses that originated about 100 million years before cells evolved.
Then, 3.8-plus million years later, human beings invented sophisticated genome sequencing technology that allowed them to peek inside those sacks and our cells. Using computers, millions of amino acids were compared; and surprise! An astonishing revelation: It seems that our genetic composition is about 65 percent viral components. Therefore, it is very probable that life on Earth evolved not only along with viruses but that they had integrated into our cells, we evolved together, and we are now totally dependent on them, too.
As a health care provider for over 50 years, I developed an admiration, respect and fear (when necessary) of microbes. They can be our mutually dependent friends, but their pathogenic relatives are formidable enemies – never to be underestimated or taken for granted under any circumstances. To prevent cross-contamination “down in the orifice [sic],” we dedicated substantial time, effort and expense to that cause; because their primary goal is to reproduce and make more of themselves, at which they can be extremely cunning and efficient.
ORGANIZED LISTS
In order to understand the world and universe around us, we humans like to neatly differentiate and categorize interdependent systems into organized lists. We have designated six kingdoms of life. Animals. Plants. Fungi. Protista. Eubacteria and Archaebacteria. Between them exists fuzzy boundaries in which overlapping categories contain ambiguous species. Into which category do you think viruses fit? The answer is “G. None of the above,” because, according to our definition of “life,” they are not alive. On their own, they cannot metabolize, reproduce, respond to their environment, etc. Only after invading a host’s cell do they become “undead” and are, therefore, sometimes creepily referred to as microzombies.
Viruses are extremely tiny, and that is an understatement. With very few exceptions, they are visible only to electron microscopes. One hundred million of the smallest viruses can comfortably fit on the head of a pin! Some can be 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria – as small as 10 nanometers in size, i.e., 10 billionths of a meter; so, they can, and do, invade cells of every living organism on Earth. The COVID-19 particle is 125 nm in diameter, i.e., 125 billionths of a meter. Bacteria average about 1,000 nm in size, huge by comparison; grape to grapefruit!
Microbes are under, over, on and inside us. Every breath of air, drink of water and morsel of food contains them. One drop of seawater contains about 10 million virus particles, which comprise 95% of marine biomass. One liter of seawater contains more viruses than the number of people on planet Earth. It is estimated (of course) that there are about 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 nonillion) individual virus particles on Earth, more than the number of stars in our observable universe! Line them up and they would extend about 100 light years ... further than our galaxy. It is estimated that the biomass of viruses in our oceans alone exceeds that of every living organism on Earth by a factor of 100.
MOST ARE HARMLESS
Very fortunately, most of them are harmless and many are so good to us that we cannot live without them. While masks might be better than nothing, know that there are no man- (or woman-) made filters that can capture that size particles. In a controlled laboratory cube where no one is moving, coughing, sneezing or breathing, the virus might follow a <6-foot trajectory to Earth. In the real world, however, where people are doing all of the above, creating air currents and subject to the whims of swirling winds outside, that 6-foot isolation distance is woefully arbitrary, inadequate and gives a false sense of security. Consider that pollen, which is 10,000 times heavier, can travel miles in all directions as free as the wind. We’ve not had enough time to study and understand this newest Public Enemy No. 1. In no way meant to demean those microbiologists, pathologists, virologists and epidemiologists dedicated to researching this pathogen, that’s why their recommendations are changing.
Viruses have the greatest biodiversity on Earth and possibly comprise 10 times the biomass of all other cellular life on our planet. Their modus operandi is to enter cells and take over the functions of those differentiated cells, i.e., lung cells, liver cells, etc. They reprogram those cells’ metabolic engines to replicate more of themselves. Bacterial antigens trigger antibody production while steadily increasing numbers by mitotic logarithmic growth, while viruses hide from their host’s immune system during an eclipse period and then literally explode at the burst phase and increase at an exponential growth rate. During that invisible phase, their pieces and parts are being manufactured and assembled into viral packets. Sometimes, the volume of virus particles within the host cell is so great that it swells and literally explodes the cell’s membrane, releasing its deadly cargo into the circulatory system.
Very fortunately for us, most bacteria and viruses are “friendly” and also essential partners for our well-being. The serendipitous discovery of antibiotics in 1928 gave us a fighting chance against the “bad” bacteria. However, when it comes to viruses, we are only slightly better than helpless. During the last century alone, there have been devastating viral pandemics that maimed and killed hundreds of millions. As absolutely necessary are the good guys, rogue viruses (and other microbes) have been a scourge of our species. Even having studied microbiology, I was horrified to reread the list: Asian flu, bird flu, chickenpox, dengue, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, hepatitis, herpes, HIV, HPV, influenza, leukemia, measles, meningitis, mononucleosis, 19 known mosquito viruses, mumps, polio, rabies, rubella, shingles, smallpox, Spanish flu, swine flu, 38 known tick-borne diseases, yellow fever, warts, Zika, now COVID-19 and more. These are only our plagues. Animals and plants have their own lists. Oy veh! Before you become desperately depressed, there is good news, too. Although they are everywhere, and live in every organism on our planet, it is very fortunate for us and our companions on Mother Earth that the vast majority are not dangerous. Completely unaware are we while our immune systems are en garde 24/7, as they successfully search and destroy “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.”
Microbial DNA within us outnumbers our own by a factor of about 10,000. Here’s where the stuff of fascinating and scary science fiction might become fact. Without intentionally giving them anthropomorphic qualities (within apostrophes below), they go about their business without conscience, guilt, remorse or any of the dozens of human emotions that keep most people in check most of the time. There is evidence that “their people talk to our people”, i.e., our genomes communicate. Each speaks to the other and requests its needs for good health, well-being and successful proliferation. We provide for them a healthy habitat and in return they perform our essential metabolic functions. It is the perfect, and ultimate, win-win relationship … until something upsets that harmonious equilibrium. Then the terms of our mutual agreement change. The invasive pathogen dictates its need to our DNA, which then complies by modifying our physiology to benefit the new dominant flora. Perhaps anaerobes order less oxygen because to them it is deadly. Perhaps acidophiles order a lower pH, so our systems become acidic. Good for them … very bad for us.
SMART PATHOGENS
Some deadly viruses can be considered smart pathogens, although they use different mechanisms to achieve their missions. For example, smallpox killed its victims within five days of infection, which for respiratory spread wouldn’t be a successful long-term strategy. The postmortem body fluids of smallpox victims were also highly infectious, so even after death the pathogen it was able to spread. That extremely nasty disease that claimed 200 million lives in just the 20th century and was defeated by international, global cooperation. Its last victim died in 1977, and smallpox was declared eradicated by the WHO in 1980. As far as we know, only two laboratory specimens exist – here and in Russia. COVID-19, also smart and successful, follows a different plan of action by allowing it’s younger hosts to survive as (healthy) asymptomatic carriers who can then circulate and infect others, perhaps year-round, without having to depend on summertime insects as transmission vehicles. Is it coincidence that those in that age group become their messengers because they are the most mobile and likely to transmit the virus among us or, trial and error suddenly mutated into this scheme?
It is suspected that COVID-19 mutated from a bat, its naturally occurring reservoir in which it is a normally occurring symbiotic partner. Except for that very first case in Wuhan, China, this virus does not spontaneously appear. So, every single positive diagnosis since then was transmitted by someone else from somewhere else. Remember that very important point. “What we have here is a perfect eating (killing) machine,” could be said of so many microbial diseases. Time is of the essence here, because viruses can mutate instantly, those mutants might be even worse, and they might be completely resistant to any feeble defenses we might have gained. Witness how ineffective flu vaccines can be each successive year.
PETRI DISH ENVIRONMENTS
As we know, diversity makes for healthy forests, gardens and portfolios. Many microbes are species specific, so distance between a heterogeneous diversity of species can provide effective barriers. Densely populated centers are the perfect petri-dish-like environments to easily and quickly enable exacerbation from epidemic to pandemic proportions.
“Know thy enemy and know yourself,” advised Chinese General Sun Tzu. Maintaining geographical distance between us in isolated residences is the best defense we currently have against this deadly enemy. We are the smarter species. Half-hearted attempts (groups of 10 or less, really?) and negotiation are not logical options. To win this war, we must play by COIVID-19’s rules to defeat it.
Even if masks with pores small enough to filter .01μm were available, they would be difficult to breathe through. Is your mask adequate and/or worn properly? Here’s a home test. Tobacco smoke particles are approximately the same diameter as COVID-19. If you can smell cigarette smoke through your mask, either its pore size is too large or it is not properly sealed around its edges. So, masks and social distancing might be inadequate protection. In other words, as of this writing, our best strategic defense and offense is to maintain significant geographical distance between us – the more the better.
Everyone has incurred financial loss from this worldwide threat; however, another dollar can almost always be earned or obtained, whereas neither good health after permanent bodily damage nor life after death can be bought at any price. I am relieved and pleased that our governments have finally taken action so we can each and all together become proactive. Too little too late? Yes, for those already infected and/or deceased. Still, better late than never. About 520 years ago, to paraphrase Hippocrates, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Can anyone imagine more desperation than this real-life video version of an apocalyptic, Hollywood sci-fi, doomsday, horror movie pitting [wo]mankind against a global invasion? Remember “War of the Worlds” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”? As a Pollyanna wish, perhaps this will bring together all of us against our common threat.
Just “imagine.”
Be healthy, happy, well and stay home.
Zonies lives in Fayston.
