Scientists may have discovered a way to make new antibiotics using marine actinobacteria found in the Arctic Sea, The Brighter Side reported.
While more than 80% of licensed antibiotics — which are used to treat bacterial infections — are derived from microorganisms found in soil, microorganisms found in ocean water could be used to similar ends, the scientists found.
The resulting study, written by researchers from the University of Helsinki and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.
"Marine actinobacteria found in the sea, on the seafloor or within the microbiome of marine organisms have received far less attention as possible sources of antibiotics, even more so with respect to virulence-modifying compounds," the authors wrote.
"The workflow developed in this study offers a blueprint for future research," The Brighter Side of News summarized.
This type of research is especially important now as, over time, bacteria can develop resistance to the drugs that are used to treat it. This has led to a situation that many have described as an "antimicrobial resistance crisis," which the U.N. Environment Programme called "one of the greatest global health threats," having led to "an estimated five million deaths in 2019."
The UNEP went on to explain that one of the biggest drivers of this growing crisis is pharmaceutical and agricultural pollution, along with pollution from the health care sector. When untreated or inadequately treated waste from these industries inevitably ends up in waterways, it contributes to the development of drug-resistant microbes.
To combat this problem in the near term, we will need new antibiotics like the ones that researchers believe they could make from marine actinobacteria — which would neutralize rather than kill the harmful bacteria outright, sidestepping "the evolutionary arms race driving resistance," per The Brighter Side of News.
We will also need policymakers and government agencies who are willing to take a stand and enforce regulations that make it unprofitable for companies to pollute our waterways at will.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
