Overview
- The strain, Psychrobacter SC65A.3, was isolated from a 5,000‑year‑old layer of ice in Romania’s Scărișoara Ice Cave and is detailed in Frontiers in Microbiology.
- Scientists tested it against 28 antibiotics from 10 classes and confirmed resistance to 10, including rifampicin, vancomycin, and ciprofloxacin.
- It is the first Psychrobacter reported to resist trimethoprim, clindamycin, and metronidazole, drugs used for urinary, respiratory, skin, blood, and reproductive infections.
- Genome analysis found over 100 resistance‑related genes, nearly 600 genes of unknown function, and 11 candidates with antimicrobial activity against other microbes.
- Lab assays showed it can inhibit several antibiotic‑resistant pathogens, and the authors highlight biosafety needs and the potential for resistance genes to spread as ice melts.