BACTERIA of a species unknown to science have been resuscitated from soil and vegetable matter trapped for between 25 and 35 million years in amber from the Dominican Republic. This is the latest claim from a team that specialises in the study of ancient microorganisms.
Researchers led by Ra煤l Cano of the California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo unveiled their research at the American Society for Microbiology鈥檚 meeting. They propose naming the bacterium Staphylococcus succinus.
Over the past few years, Cano and his team have claimed to have revived a whole range of microorganisms from dormant spores trapped in amber (快猫短视频, Science, 27 May 1995, p 18). Most of the microorganisms have been very similar to living examples, but their latest bacterium is quite unlike modern species of Staphylococcus.
Advertisement
Cano says that the bacteria are very unusual, often multiplying to form clusters that resemble a ship鈥檚 wheel. And whereas the cell walls of today鈥檚 Staphylococcus are rich in the amino acid L-lysine, this substance is not found in S. succinus. Instead, their cell walls are laden with diaminopimelic acids and a fatty acid called tuberculostearic acid, which are found in the walls of modern Corynebacterium. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like science fiction, but it鈥檚 cool,鈥� says Cano, who is submitting his findings for publication to the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology.
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything like it,鈥� agrees Lewis Lambert from Xoma, a biotechnology company based in Berkeley, California, that helped isolate the bacteria and verify Cano鈥檚 methods. 鈥淵ou look down the microscope and see live microdinosaurs,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing.鈥� Xoma鈥檚 scientists are studying the bacteria to see if they produce any enzymes or other proteins that might have industrial or medical uses.
Some species of Staphylococcus, notably drug-resistant strains of S. aureus, cause human disease. Whether S. succinus would also be a human pathogen is unclear. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an organism that鈥檚 never seen a human host before,鈥� says Lambert. But provided the bacteria are properly handled and contained, he says, they should pose no threat to human health.
Cano plans to make samples of S. succinus available to other researchers by depositing them with the American Type Culture Collection in Washington DC.
Some scientists have been sceptical about Cano鈥檚 previous claims to have revived ancient bacteria. Cano accepts that he cannot prove that bacteria taken from ancient amber are not more modern contaminants. However, he says that the unusual habits and biochemistry of S. succinus make it an important find, whatever its age.