5,000-Year-Old Cave Bacterium Resists Antibiotics and Kills Pathogens

https://www.azolifesciences.com/news/20260226/5000-Year-Old-Cave-Bacterium-Resists-Antibiotics-and-Kills-Pathogens.aspx?utm_source=azonetwork_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=microbiology_newsletter_21_may_2026 A millennia-old microbe preserved in cave ice reveals a surprising double life, harboring a broad array of resistance genes while producing compounds that suppress modern-day pathogens. In a recent study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers uncovered a remarkable microbial survivor preserved in 5,000-year-old ice from Romania’s Scărișoara Ice Cave. The team isolated and sequenced a novel strain of Psychrobacter, SC65A.3, revealing an ancient, ice-adapted bacterium, with an unexpected dual identity: it carries multidrug resistance (MDR) genes while also demonstrating antimicrobial activity.