Posted April 18, 2012
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria cut off from the outside world for more than four million years have been found in a deep cave.
The discovery is surprising because drug resistance is widely believed to be the result of too much treatment.
However, the resistant bugs from Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico have had no contact with humans.
“Our study shows that antibiotic resistance is hard-wired into bacteria,” said Dr Gerry Wright, from McMaster University in Canada.
Researchers found that while none of the bacteria are harmful to humans, almost all were resistant to at least one antibiotic and some to as many as 14 different drugs.
