Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Were in Hedgehogs a Century Before We Used Antibiotics

Study suggests the dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as MRSA first evolved naturally.   View in browser

Image credits: DenisNata via Shutterstock Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Were in Hedgehogs a Century Before We Used Antibiotics Study suggests the dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as MRSA first evolved naturally.   Brian Owens, Contributor January 5, 2022                                                                                                                                                                                      (Inside Science) -- As soon as humans started using antibiotics to fight bacterial infections, the bacteria started evolving ways to fight back. But new research shows that one so-called "superbug" resistant to important front-line antibiotics has been lurking in hedgehogs for more than 200 years, long before we even started to use the drugs. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common antibiotic-resistant bacterium that is a particular problem in hospitals. Until about 17 years ago it was thought to only infect humans -- then it was discovered in cattle as well. So scientists including Jesper Larsen, a microbiologist at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark, started looking at a variety of wild animals to see if they also harbored the bacterium... Read more Copyright 2021 American Institute of Physics. Inside Science syndicates its articles, columns, blogs and videos to news organizations. To initiate syndication, or request permission to republish our content (on a one-time or continuing basis), please contact Inside Science at insidescience@aip.org. News organizations seeking permission to republish Inside Science content must fully credit Inside Science as the original source of the content, include the author byline, and republish the original, unaltered form (excluding content titles, headlines, or sub-headlines). The reprint format can be seen here. Copyright conditions and usage terms are subject to change at any time without consent or any type of prior notice. To unsubscribe from all future mailings from Inside Science please click here. To manage your email subscriptions please click here.

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