Frozen for 5,000 years, this ice cave bacterium resists modern antibiotics
Science Daily
February 22, 2026
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Deep inside Romania's Scarisoara Ice Cave, scientists have discovered a 5,000-year-old bacterium with a surprising ability: it resists multiple modern antibiotics. The strain, named *Psychrobacter SC65A.3*, was found in a 25-meter ice core drilled from the cave's Great Hall. Despite its ancient origin, this cold-loving microbe carries over 100 resistance-related genes and shows immunity to 28 antibiotics across 10 classes, including treatments for tuberculosis, UTIs, and infections like colitis.
This finding, published in *Frontiers in Microbiology*, highlights how antibiotic resistance may have evolved naturally over millennia. The bacterium's resistance mechanisms suggest that bacteria living in extreme cold environments could serve as reservoirs for resistance genes. These genes might spread to modern bacteria as ice melts due to climate change, potentially complicating the global fight against antibiotic resistance.
The discovery also opens new avenues in biotechnology. *Psychrobacter SC65A.3* has shown unique enzymatic activities and antimicrobial properties that could inspire innovative medical treatments or industrial applications. Additionally, researchers identified nearly 600 genes in the bacterium with unknown functions, hinting at untapped potential for scientific discovery.
This study underscores the importance of exploring extreme environments like ice caves to understand antibiotic resistance's natural history and its implications for human health. While the findings raise concerns
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Originally published on Science Daily on 2/22/2026