May 30, 2022
“Superpower” Bacteria Discovered in Antarctica With Genes That Provide It Natural Antibiotic and Antimicrobial Resistance
Bacteria in Antarctica have been discovered with genes that give them natural antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance and have the potential to spread out of the polar regions, according to scientists in Chile.
Andres Marcoleta, a researcher from the University of Chile who headed the study published in the Science of the Total Environment journal in March, said that these “superpowers” which evolved to resist extreme conditions are contained in mobile DNA fragments that can easily be transferred to other bacteria.
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“We know that the soils of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the polar areas most impacted by melting ice, host a great diversity of bacteria,” Marcoleta said.
“And that some of them constitute a potential source of ancestral genes that confer resistance to antibiotics.”
“It is worth asking whether climate change could have an impact on the occurrence of infectious diseases,” Marcoleta said.
“In a possible scenario, these genes could leave this reservoir and promote the emergence and proliferation of infectious diseases.”
