US EditionAncient Bacteria Strain Discovered in Ice Cave Is Resistant to some Modern Antibiotics
Psychrobacter SC65A.3 carries over 100 resistance genes against 10 widely used antibiotics, revealing natural evolution of antibiotic resistance in an ancient ice-trapped microbe.
- Recently, Cristina Purcarea's team recovered Psychrobacter SC65A.3 from a 5,000-year-old ice layer in Scarisoara Ice Cave's Great Hall, resisting 10 of 28 antibiotics tested.
- Because antibiotic resistance evolved long before modern medicine, Cristina Purcarea studied ancient microbial competition and natural resistome at the Institute of Biology Bucharest to trace this history.
- Sequencing showed SC65A.3 contains almost 600 unannotated genes alongside candidates for antimicrobial activity, including more than 100 resistance-related genes and 11 antimicrobial candidate genes.
- Amid World Health Organization warnings about antimicrobial resistance, SC65A.3 secretes molecules that could yield new antibiotics, while melting glaciers and ice caves may release ancient microbes, raising concerns.
- Sequencing and sterile lab isolation underpinned the team's analysis, with strict safety measures to prevent spread; SC65A.3 is a cold-adapted psychrophile with biotech potential, researchers said.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Scientists Warn: 5,000-Year-Old Ice Cave Bacteria Resistant to Modern Antibiotics
A bacterium preserved for millennia in cave ice has revealed unexpected resistance to modern antibiotics. Bacteria are known for their ability to survive in some of the harshest places on Earth, from extreme heat to deep freezes. Ice caves are one such habitat, sheltering diverse microbial communities that scientists have only begun to explore for [...]
The discovery of a bacterial strain hidden in a 5,000-year-old layer of ice in a Romanian ice cave may offer an opportunity to develop new strategies to prevent the rise of antibiotic resistance. This is the Scarisoara Ice Cave, located in the Apuseni Mountains of Romania, and is one of the largest in Europe. The Psychrobacter SC65A.3 strain was discovered here, which could provide an opportunity to develop new strategies to prevent the rise of …
The research was carried out in the Scărișoara Cave, where the bacterial strain Psychrobacter was found under a layer of ice about 5000 years old...
An ancient strain of bacteria found by Romanian researchers in an ice cave 25 meters deep is resistant to several modern antibiotics and drugs. The samples were taken in the Scarișoara Ice Cave. The layer of ice in which the bacteria was hidden is about 5,000 years old, meaning the microorganism was completely isolated from the outside world for a very long time.
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