Scientists from the Romanian Academy have discovered in the Scărișoara Ice Cave a strain of bacteria, Psychrobacter SC65A.3, which survived in ice for 5,000 years. The microorganism exhibits natural resistance to ten modern antibiotics, raising concerns among researchers in the context of glacier melting. At the same time, the bacterium's genome contains mechanisms that inhibit the growth of dangerous superpathogens, which could pave the way for creating a new generation of drugs to combat infections resistant to traditional therapies.

Ancient super-resistance

The Psychrobacter SC65A.3 bacterium survived 5,000 years in ice and exhibits natural resistance to ten modern antibiotics of various classes.

Medical potential

This strain inhibits the growth of dangerous pathogens, offering a chance to develop a new generation of drugs against superbacteria.

Climate threat

Scientists warn that melting glaciers could release ancient, resistant microorganisms into the natural environment.

A team of microbiologists led by Dr. Cristina Purcărea conducted pioneering research in the Scărișoara Ice Cave. From a depth of nearly 25 meters, they extracted an ice core containing dormant microorganisms. The most attention was drawn to the Psychrobacter SC65A.3 strain, which remained frozen for approximately 5,000 years. Laboratory studies, the results of which were published in the prestigious journal "Frontiers in Microbiology", revealed the surprising genetic profile of this ancient organism. A shocking discovery was the bacterium's resistance to 10 out of 28 tested antibiotics, including drugs used to treat tuberculosis, colitis, and urinary tract infections. The fact that such an old bacterium has defense mechanisms against drugs developed only in the 20th century suggests that antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon and much older than modern medicine. Scientists warn that in the era of global warming, the release of similar pathogens from melting glaciers could pose a real risk to public health. Discoveries in Scărișoara confirm the time capsule hypothesis, according to which cave ice preserves genetic information from thousands of years ago, allowing the study of microorganism evolution in isolation from human influence. Paradoxically, the same threat carries immense hope. The identified strain produces substances that inhibit the growth of other, modern superbacteria. Researchers from Bucharest noted that the genes of Psychrobacter SC65A.3 could be used to design modern strategies to combat pathogens that are currently almost incurable. Work on fully sequencing the genome aims to isolate molecules with antimicrobial properties, which could revolutionize pharmacology. „Although the strain is five millennia old, it shows resistance to all the antibiotics we tested in the first stage of work.” — Dr. Cristina Purcărea 10 — antibiotics are ineffective against the discovered bacterium

Mentioned People

  • Cristina Purcărea — Doctor of biology from the Institute of Biology in Bucharest, lead author of the study on the Psychrobacter bacterium.