key: cord-0999727-m0riwyct
authors: Charlie-Silva, Ives; Malafaia, Guilherme
title: Fragments Sars-Cov-2 in aquatic organism represent an additional environmental risk concern: Urgent need for research
date: 2022-01-13
journal: Sci Total Environ
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153064
sha: 4b4717dc33730166a7ca440ba9b4bfcaa7653d4d
doc_id: 999727
cord_uid: m0riwyct

[Figure: see text]

Regardless of whether these studies are still initially to epidemiological conclusions of definitive practical applications, the fact is that the new coronavirus or its fragments have already been identified in different river systems (Guerreiro-Latorre et al., 2020; Rimoldi et al., 2020; Mahlknecht et al., 2021) . As discussed by , in countries with a lack of basic sanitation, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in freshwater environments may be even greater, considering, for example, that in numerous countries less than 30% of the sewage generated is treated before being discharged into the streams (Rodriguez et al., 2020) . Consequently, questions arise from this scenario about the extent to which the presence of the new coronavirus (or its fragments) in surface water represents an (eco)toxicological risk for non-target organisms.

Our research group recently reported some effects arising from the exposure of amphibians, fish, and insects to distinct protein fragments of the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (Malafaia et al., 2022; Mendonça-Gomes et al., 2021; Charlie-Silva et al., 2021; Gonçalves et al., 2022; Fernandes et al., 2022) . Initially, from a systemic approach (including the synthesis, cleavage, purification, and alignment of three peptide fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, as well as the exposure of neotropical Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to these fragments) we gathered evidence that confirms the toxicity of the viral constituents in the evaluated animal model. The increase in several biomarkers predictive of oxidative stress and the alteration in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity demonstrated that the short exposure (24 h) to these peptides was sufficient to affect the health of tadpoles [20] . In the study by , we showed for the first time that short-term exposure (48 h) of PSPD-2002 and PSPD-2003 peptides (at 40 µg/L) induced alterations in the locomotor system and in the olfactory behavior of Culex quinquefascitus larvae, which were associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and AChE activity. We also show that exposure to the aforementioned peptide fragments can also alter the behavior of fish (Poecilia reticulata), induce redox imbalance, affect the growth and development of animals (Malafaia et al., 2022) and induce genomic instability and DNA damage (Gonçalves et al., 2022) . Furthermore, besides representing an important tool to assess the harmful effects of SARS-CoV-2 in the aquatic environment, we present the zebrafish as an animal model for translational COVID-19 research (Fernandes et al., 2022) . Therefore, these studies "shed light" on the (eco)toxicological potential of peptide fragments of SARS-CoV-2 in aquatic biota, going beyond the works that have focused on the susceptibility of different mammalian species to viral infection and their roles in the dissemination of COVID-19 (Tiwari et al., 2020; Audino et al., 2021; Delahay et al., 2021) . platforms for asking specific questions about SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease induction, and transmission. On the one hand, these studies provide insights into the animal models for SARS-CoV-2 and animal management for COVID-19 control; on the other, they instigate new investigations on how the permissibility of infection can harm the health of these animals, similarly to what we identified in our studies [20] [21] [22] .

Aquatic organisms, in particular, are not hosts for the SARS-CoV-2, but their particles/peptide fragments can affect the health of these animals, leading to harm to individuals, with the potential to impact their natural populations. Thus, it is urgent that further investigations expand the ecological representation of animal models already studied. Equally essential will be researching how viral particles/fragments access cells. Are amphibians susceptible to absorption through the gills (as tadpoles) and through the skin, as adults? Could such particles/fragments enter the physiological systems of fish, breaking the mucosal barrier of the gills and/or the gastrointestinal system? What cellular mechanisms have the greatest influence on absorption processes, via enterocytes, for example? Are mechanisms or pathways of entry of viral particles/fragments like vertebrates in invertebrates? Is there greater susceptibility to the effects of exposure to these particles/fragments? Therefore, these are still obscure questions, but they are crucial for us to understand the real magnitude of the indirect effects caused by COVID-19 on aquatic biodiversity. Certainly, this will favor the adoption of measures that can remedy/mitigate the harmful effects on animals, as well as to understand the additional effects of these particles/fragments on the toxicity of so many other pollutants already dispersed in aquatic ecosystems.

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