Antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolved from pathogen that existed before dinosaurs: Research

Scientists from Broad Institute in the United States have discovered that antibiotic-resistant bacteria may have evolved even before dinosaurs came into existence.

As per a paper published by a team, headed by Dr Ashlee Earl, these bacteria are over 450 million years old. The antibiotic resistant bacteria that are studied by hospitals today, according to the paper, arose from an ancestor shedding light on the evolutionary history of these pathogens, which have become leading causes of modern antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals.

“By analysing the genomes and behaviours of today’s enterococci, we were able to rewind the clock back to their earliest existence and piece together a picture of how these organisms were shaped into what they are today” said Earl, while speaking to the University’s news website. “Understanding how the environment in which microbes live leads to new properties could help us to predict how microbes will adapt to the use of antibiotics, antimicrobial hand soaps, disinfectants and other products intended to control their spread.”

Antibiotic resistance is now a leading public health concern worldwide. Some microbes, often referred to as “superbugs,” are resistant to virtually all antibiotics. This is of special concern in hospitals, where about 5 percent of hospitalised patients will fight infections that arise during their stay. As researchers around the world are urgently seeking solutions for this problem, insight into the origin and evolution of antibiotic resistance will help inform their search.