PUBLICATION

Retracted: Exposure of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) to SARS-CoV-2 at predicted environmentally relevant concentrations: Outspreading warns about ecotoxicological risks to freshwater fish

Authors
da Luz, T.M., Guimar?es, A.T.B., da Silva Matos, S.G., de Souza, S.S., Gomes, A.R., de Lima Rodrigues, A.S., Durigon, E.L., Charlie-Silva, I., Freitas, ?.N., Islam, A.R.M.T., Rahman, M.M., Silva, A.M., Malafaia, G.
ID
ZDB-PUB-230408-51
Date
2023
Source
The Science of the total environment   880: 163269 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Biomarkers, Danio rerio, Ecotoxicity, Environmental toxicology, New coronavirus
MeSH Terms
  • Humans
  • COVID-19*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Pandemics
  • Animals
  • Zebrafish/physiology
  • Acetylcholinesterase/metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Fresh Water
  • Ecosystem
PubMed
37028679 Full text @ Sci. Total Environ.
Abstract
While the multifaceted social, economic, and public health impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are known, little is known about its effects on non-target aquatic ecosystems and organisms. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the potential ecotoxicity of SARS-CoV-2 lysate protein (SARS.CoV2/SP02.2020.HIAE.Br) in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) at predicted environmentally relevant concentrations (0.742 and 2.226 pg/L), by 30 days. Although our data did not show locomotor alterations or anxiety-like or/and anxiolytic-like behavior, we noticed that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 negatively affected habituation memory and social aggregation of animals in response to a potential aquatic predator (Geophagus brasiliensis). An increased frequency of erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities was also observed in animals exposed to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, our data suggest that such changes were associated with a redox imbalance [↑ROS (reactive oxygen species), ↑H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), ↓SOD (superoxide dismutase), and ↓CAT (catalase)], cholinesterasic effect [↑AChE (acetylcholinesterase) activity], as well as the induction of an inflammatory immune response [↑NO (nitric oxide), ↑IFN-γ (interferon-gamma), and ↓IL-10 (interleukin-10)]. For some biomarkers, we noticed that the response of the animals to the treatments was not concentration-dependent. However, principal component analysis (PCA) and the "Integrated Biomarker Response" index (IBRv2) indicated a more prominent ecotoxicity of SARS-CoV-2 at 2.226 pg/L. Therefore, our study advances knowledge about the ecotoxicological potential of SARS-CoV-2 and reinforces the presumption that the COVID-19 pandemic has negative implications beyond its economic, social, and public health impacts.
Errata / Notes
Retracted publication has been replaced by ZDB-PUB-250216-4.
Genes / Markers
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Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping