The vitality of some types of microbes is truly amazing. In the media, sensational reports periodically appear about the discovery of viable microorganisms that have been in a state of suspended animation for tens, hundreds, thousands and even millions of years
So, in London, in the largest botanical garden Kew Gardens, where a herbarium is kept, regularly replenished since 1640, in lumps of soil adhering to the roots of plants, the English microbiologist P. Snees was able to find quite viable spores of a number of microbes. Moreover, they were in the soil that fell into the herbarium almost three hundred years ago.
Unknown bacteria
In 1959, the German microbiologist G. Dombrowski observed an unusual picture under a microscope: various microorganisms appeared in the droplets of mineral water, which the scientist studied. Without postponing matters indefinitely, he began to study uninvited guests who could pollute the recently discovered mineral spring. And then it turned out that this is a completely new kind of bacteria. Dr. Dombrowski named them Pseudomonas Halocrena, which means "salt spring bacteria."
In 1962, in salt samples taken near the springs of Bad Nauheim (Germany), raised from a depth of 209 meters and then dissolved in a nutrient broth, colonies of microorganisms soon grew, in which it was possible to recognize all the same Pseudomonas Halokren. The same bacteria were found during microscopic examination of dry samples of mined salt. Enclosed in transparent salt crystals, they were ready to return to life after millions of years!
In the course of further research in new salt samples taken from depths of 400-700 meters from other regions of Germany, G. Dombrowski again isolated colonies of the same bacteria. The scientist examined rock salt samples from other countries. And in all cases, a viable bacterial flora developed in the nutrient broth. In samples taken from the Sas Kachewan region of Canada, bacteria that were 360 million years old were discovered and revived! And from the petrified salt mined in the Irkutsk region, bacteria were isolated at the age of 600 million years, which lived at the dawn of the Paleozoic era!
Incredible finds
Subsequently, the American microbiologist C. Lipman, during the study of the walls of the ancient Indian pyramids in Peru, whose age is about 4800 years, and in coal seams, whose age was estimated at 300 million years, also managed to find quite viable bacteria.
In 1966, scientists from Cairo University found viable azobacteria inside the mud brick used in the construction of the temple of the god Amun at Karnak 2,400 years ago. Two types of bacteria were found, and relatively few - only 20 microorganisms per gram of clay dust. But the sensationalism of this discovery was that the species found do not form a dispute and, therefore, are unstable. That is why their durability surprised scientists.
In the mid-1970s, British scientists, while examining the ruins of the Roman fort Vindoland in Northern England, dating from about 90 AD and located near Carlisle, discovered viable spores of microscopic fungi - actinomycetes.
During excavations in Yakutia, Russian scientists discovered in the ancient layers of permafrost, unknown to modern science and quite viable bacteria, whose age was about two million years.
All these discoveries clearly confirm that many types of microbes have truly amazing vitality and adaptability to adverse environmental changes. Forming spores, they are, as it were, canned and are able to withstand exposure to high and low temperatures, pressure surges, prolonged drying, and so on. When exposed to favorable conditions, spores germinate and vegetative forms of living microbes appear. At the same time, low temperatures in some cases contribute to a rather long preservation of even those microorganisms that do not form spores.
Bed and fan
Among other things, discoveries of this kind indicate the serious danger arising from the awakening of microbes after prolonged hibernation. So, relatively recently in Los Angeles, one lover of antiques suddenly fell ill with a form of flu unknown to modern doctors. It turned out that the day before he had acquired an old bed of the era of Louis XIII, in which the viruses of the so-called "disease of kings", widely known in the 16th-17th centuries, have been safely preserved to this day. As a result, a lot of time and effort had to be spent fighting this messenger of past centuries.
A similar incident happened with Alice King, a resident of the American town of Ripley. From her grandmother she inherited a luxurious collection of all kinds of fans and fans. Once, preparing for a charity ball, Alice looked through them and opted for an old fan made of ostrich feathers, brought back from Egypt. Under the skillful hands of Alice, the fan turned into an elegant fan, with which she went to the ball. But by the next morning, the woman suddenly fell ill. The diagnosis that the doctors put to Mrs. King shocked everyone: it turned out that she had cholera! On the fan that Alice was fanning at the ball, cholera vibrios were found, which retained their evil power for 76 years.
Medallion with tubercle sticks
Raymond Sánchez, a resident of the Peruvian city of Ilo, while working on his land, accidentally discovered an ancient Inca burial. At night, he opened the stone sarcophagus where the dried mummy was. On the breast of the mummy lay a gold medallion. Satisfied, Sanchez took the dainty little thing and hung it around his neck. On reflection, he decided not to tell anyone about his find. However, he failed to keep the secret: one day, after drinking, he told his drinking companions about it. Very little time passed, and Raymond Sanchez, always distinguished by good health, began to wither before our eyes. Doctors diagnosed him with tuberculosis and took him to the hospital.
Meanwhile, rumors of Sanchez's discovery reached the capital of Peru - Lima - and archaeological excavations began on the site of the tomb of the ancient Incas. As a result, scientists came up with a discovery that literally shook the treasure seeker lying on a hospital bed. It turned out that a woman was lying in the crypt, buried almost a thousand years ago. In the hot climate of the Atacama Desert, her body dried up and turned into a mummy. In the course of medical research, bacteria were found in her skin and right lung, which all this time retained their vitality. American microbiologist William Salo identified them as tubercle bacilli. By the way, this discovery was another confirmation that tuberculosis existed in Latin America long before the first Europeans arrived there. In this regard, the cause of the disease and Ramon Sanchez became clear. He may have become infected by inhaling dust particles raised during the opening of the grave. It is possible that the danger lurked in the gold medallion, which he, having removed from the mummy, wore on his chest. But be that as it may, the insidious bacteria waited a thousand years in the wings and finally found their victim.
Dmitry MAKUNIN