'Predators that just run in and grab, stab and kill': The deep cave bacteria resistant to modern medicine
By Jasmin Fox-Skelly
Published on March 22, 2026.
The Lechuguilla Cave, a deep cave in southern New Mexico, where ancient bacteria have been trapped in caves for millions of years, is one of the world's longest and deepest limestone caves. Despite their isolation, the bacteria have developed survival tactics that make them resistant to almost all antibiotics. Scientists hope their knowledge will be used to develop new drugs and treatments. The cave formed millions years ago and was completely sealed off from humans until 1986. Despite this, they are resistant to most antibiotics, despite being trapped in a cave that formed six million years ago. This resistance is helping researchers identify new drugs that can withstand antimicrobial resistance in modern medicine. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often called "superbugs", is a global health crisis, leading to 1.14 million deaths in 2021 and an estimated 39 million people expected to die due to AMR between 2025 and 2050.
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