Superbug MRSA arose in hedgehogs long before clinical use of antibiotics

Scientists have found evidence that a type of the antibiotic resistant superbug MRSA arose in nature long before the use of antibiotics in humans and livestock, which has traditionally been blamed for its emergence. Hedgehogs carry a fungus and a bacteria on their skin, and the two are locked in a battle for survival. The fungus secretes antibiotics to kill the bacteria, but in response the bacteria has evolved antibiotic resistance -- becoming Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Up to 60% of hedgehogs carry a type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, which causes 1 in 200 of all MRSA infections in humans. Natural biological processes, not antibiotic use, drove the initial emergence of this superbug on hedgehogs around 200 years ago.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220105111403.htm?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger