Researchers in Romania have discovered a 5,000-year-old strain of bacteria resistant to modern antibiotics, underscoring concerns about the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. The strain, known as Psychrobacter SC65A.3, was isolated from ice deep inside Scărișoara Cave, one of Europe’s largest underground ice caves.
Scientists from the Institute of Biology Bucharest drilled a 25-meter (82-ft) ice core and found the ancient bacteria carried more than 100 resistance-related genes. According to study author Cristina Purcarea, the strain was resistant to 10 antibiotics across eight different classes, including drugs commonly used to treat tuberculosis, colitis, and urinary tract infections.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, suggest that antibiotic resistance evolved naturally long before modern medicine, though experts warn that widespread antibiotic use has accelerated its spread. With antimicrobial resistance already linked to millions of deaths globally each year, researchers say understanding how resistance develops is critical in the fight against so-called “superbugs.”
Click through the following gallery to learn more about the looming superbug crisis and what scientists are doing to combat it.