In a remarkable scientific breakthrough, researchers have identified an ancient bacterial strain preserved deep inside a Romanian underground ice cave for approximately 5,000 years, demonstrating resistance to a wide range of modern antibiotics.
The strain, known as Psychrobacter SC65A.3, was isolated from ancient ice layers within one of the largest underground glaciers. Genetic analysis revealed that the bacterium is resistant to ten antibiotics spanning eight different drug classes and carries more than 100 genes associated with antibiotic resistance.
Scientists extracted a 25-meter-long ice core from a massive underground ice block estimated to be around 13,000 years old and measuring roughly 100,000 cubic meters in volume. Laboratory sequencing allowed researchers to identify the genes responsible for both cold adaptation and resistance to antibiotics commonly used today to treat serious infections such as tuberculosis, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal diseases.
The findings suggest that antibiotic resistance is not solely a modern phenomenon but has evolved naturally in the environment long before the clinical use of antibiotics. However, the widespread and often excessive use of these medications in recent decades has accelerated the spread and diversification of resistance genes.
The study highlights the growing importance of understanding cold-adapted microorganisms, especially as frozen habitats—covering nearly 20% of Earth’s surface—face rapid climate change. Melting ice could potentially release ancient microbes and their genetic material into contemporary ecosystems.
Globally, antibiotic resistance is responsible for millions of deaths each year. In Europe alone, estimates attribute more than 35,000 deaths annually to drug-resistant infections. Health authorities also report that one in six bacterial infections worldwide is now resistant to standard treatments.
This discovery underscores the urgent need for responsible antibiotic use and continued research into environmental microbes to better anticipate and manage future public health risks.
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