Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34693460›Full record

ReviewMicrobial ecology2022

Cave Microbes as a Potential Source of Drugs Development in the Modern Era.

Sahib Zada, Wasim Sajjad, Muhammad Rafiq, Sardar Ali, Zhong Hu, Hui Wang, Runlin Cai

Erratum issuedAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Microbial ecology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 23 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Subterranean environments contribute to three-quarters of classified ecosystem services.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Molluscicidal Screening ofJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  10. Review
  11. First genome sequence and functional profiling ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Animal Microbiomes as a Source of Novel Antibiotic-Producing Strains.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. The Rare ActinobacteriumMicroorganisms · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Sahib ZadaBiology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
Wasim SajjadState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Muhammad RafiqDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, QUETTA, Pakistan.
Sardar AliBiology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
Zhong HuBiology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
Hui WangBiology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
Runlin CaiBiology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China. rlcai@stu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7388-8096

Funding

guangdong science and technology department 2019ST023national natural science foundation of china 32070113pifi fellowship from the chinese academy of sciences 2020PC0052
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The world is constantly facing threats, including the emergence of new pathogens and antibiotic resistance among extant pathogens, which is a matter of concern. Therefore, the need for natural and effective sources of drugs is inevitable. The ancient and pristine ecosystems of caves contain a unique microbial world and could provide a possible source of antimicrobial metabolites. The association between humans and caves is as old as human history itself. Historically, cave environments have been used to treat patients with respiratory tract infections, which is referred to as speleotherapy. Today, the pristine environment of caves that comprise a poorly explored microbial world is a potential source of antimicrobial and anticancer drugs. Oligotrophic conditions in caves enhance the competition among microbial communities, and unique antimicrobial agents may be used in this competition. This review suggests that the world needs a novel and effective source of drug discovery. Therefore, being the emerging spot of modern human civilization, caves could play a crucial role in the current medical crisis, and cave microorganisms may have the potential to produce novel antimicrobial and anticancer drugs.

Indexed as

CavesMicrobiotaAnti-Bacterial AgentsHumansAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntibiotic resistanceAntimicrobial drugsCave ecosystemSpeleotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34693460
PMCPMC8542507

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.