Research has discovered that an ancient bacteria is resistant to multiple modern antibiotics.

A recent study published in the international academic journal Frontiers in Microbiology shows that an ancient bacteria found in a centuries-old ice cave in Romania is resistant to multiple modern antibiotics, indicating that bacterial resistance can develop through natural evolution. This bacteria was discovered in ice formed about 5,000 years ago in a Romanian ice cave. Researchers from the Bucharest Institute of Biological Research, Romanian Academy, drilled a 25-meter ice core into the cave, isolated various bacterial strains, and sequenced their genomes to study their cold resistance mechanisms and antibiotic resistance genes.

The researchers tested one strain of psychrophilic bacteria called SC65A.3 against 28 commonly used or reserve antibiotics across 10 major classes. They found that SC65A.3 was resistant to 10 of these antibiotics, including rifampin, vancomycin, and ciprofloxacin, which are used to treat common infections. SC65A.3 is also the first psychrophilic strain found to be resistant to antibiotics such as trimethoprim, clindamycin, and metronidazole.

The study also found that SC65A.3 carries over a hundred genes related to resistance, can inhibit the growth of multiple multidrug-resistant “superbugs,” and possesses unique enzyme activities with potential biotechnological applications. Researchers believe that bacteria capable of surviving in cold environments may serve as a natural reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes. (Xinhua News Agency)