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Bacteria Frozen 5,000 Years in Romanian Cave Resists 10 Antibiotics
The 5,000-year-old Psychrobacter SC65A.3 from Romanian cave ice resists 10 antibiotic classes and carries over 100 resistance genes, with potential for new antimicrobial discoveries.
- Today the Institute of Biology Bucharest published a Frontiers in Microbiology study documenting Psychrobacter SC65A.3 isolated from 5,000-year-old Scărișoara Ice Cave ice and tested for antibiotic resistance.
- The team drilled a 25-meter ice core from the Great Hall, kept ice fragments sterile, isolated strains in the lab, and sequenced genomes to link genes to cold survival and antimicrobial activity.
- Genomic analysis found over 100 resistance-related genes and almost 600 genes of unknown function, with resistance to ten modern antibiotics including ciprofloxacin, and 1 gene with antimicrobial potential.
- Scientists warned melting ice could release resistance genes into modern bacteria, while researchers say enzymes and antimicrobial compounds offer biotech potential and call for lab safety and further research.
- With warming glaciers and caves, researchers say the findings raise urgent global questions as climate change and thawing frozen environments could reawaken dormant microbes, while antibiotic resistance causes 1.27 million deaths annually, underscoring the need for monitoring ancient genomes and evolutionary insight.
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57 Articles
The strain, identified as Psychobacter SC65A.3, appeared in the cave of Scărișoara, in Romania. The study was published in Frontiers in Microbiology. The research warns that melting due to climate change could release ancient microorganisms. These could transfer resistance genes to current bacteria. The phenomenon would aggravate the global problem of antimicrobial resistance. The scientist Cristina Purcarea, author of the study, indicated that …
Deeply hidden in the ice, Romanian researchers have discovered an ancient bacterium that has the potential to become a "superbug" – and poses enormous risks.
Researchers have discovered a strong resistance to modern antibiotics in bacteria strains that have been frozen for thousands of years. Especially in times of increasing antibiotic resistance, this finding is of particular importance.
In a Romanian ice cave, researchers have excavated a 5,000-year-old bacterium that is resistant to ten modern antibiotics. At the same time, the pathogens could become the key to the fight against dangerous hospital germs.
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