Bacteria discovered in ancient ice resistant to multiple modern antibiotics

Inside an ancient underground ice cave, scientists have discovered bacteria just as old, which could help develop future medicines for the better, or, for worse cause antibiotic resistance.

From the Scǎrișoara Cave in Romania, researchers found the bacteria - Psychrobacter SC65A.3 - hidden under the 5,000-year-old layer of ice, which experts say can adapt to cold environments, and some species can cause infections in humans or animals.

To test the bacteria, they had to dril a 25-metre ice core that represented a 13,000-year timeline and transported fragments to the lab in sterile bags that were kept frozen.

After researchers carried out antibiotic resistance profiles of the bacterial strain, they found that it has resistance to multiple modern antibiotics and carries over 100 resistance-related genes.

When tested against 28 antibiotics, the bacteria were resistant to 10, and those included medicines we use today to treat infections in the lungs, skin, blood, reproductive system and urinary tract.

“If melting ice releases these microbes, these genes could spread to modern bacteria, adding to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance,” said study author Dr Cristina Purcarea, a senior scientist at the Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy.

“On the other hand, they produce unique enzymes and antimicrobial compounds that could inspire new antibiotics, industrial enzymes, and other biotechnological innovations.”

But the good news is that Psychrobacter SC65A can also "inhibit the growth of several major antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs' and "showed important enzymatic activities with important biotechnological potential."

Dr Purcarea concluded, “These ancient bacteria are essential for science and medicine, but careful handling and safety measures in the lab are essential to mitigate the risk of uncontrolled spread"

Elsewhere from Indy100, Ancient secrets uncovered under 80-million-year-old ice sheets in Antarctica, and Melting ice reveals secret buried in the Rocky Mountains not seen for 6,000 years.

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