Probiotics reduce AMR carriage, new study shows

In a 2000 strong cohort among newborn babies in Tanzania, the abundance of antibacterial resistant E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae decreased by 7 percent when given probiotics.

The study did not find any significant reduction of hospitalization and deaths among the infants, but the reduction in AMR carriage could mean less AMR on a societal scale. 

Access the study in The Lancet Global Health here.

The study was funded by the Western and Northern Norway Regional Health Authorities (Helse Bergen and Helse Nord), The Trond Mohn Foundation, and Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR).

Corresponding author: 
Nina Langeland, CAMRIA (Combatting Anti-Microbial Resistance with Interdisciplinary Approaches)

Starting Up New National Microlobiology Education

To face the rising the problem of antibiotic resistance, UiT and other Norwegian universities are joining forces to educate the next generation of microbial experts. 

The new researcher school will be called MiMa: Microbiology Matters - novel approaches to tackle future health challenges. With fresh funding from the Norwegian Research Council, the school will educate infection biology scientist with a One Health perspective, including contagion between animals and humans - zoonotic diseases. 

The education will strengthen researchers' competence on preventing pandemics and the development of new medicines and vaccines. 

- We are all part of the same ecosystem. The COVID-19 pandemic was an example of how fast contagion can spread from animals to humans, and how this contagion can spread globally. By having knowledge about surveillance of other sources of contagion like domestic animals and wild game, we can prevent potential outbreaks or spread to humans, says associate professor Pauline Cavanagh from UiT.

Cavanagh will head the school together with professor Morten Kjos from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). 

MiMa: Microbiology Matters is a cooperative effort between UiT, The University of Oslo, The University of Bergen, NTNU in Trondheim, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, OsloMet, and the University of Inland Norway. MiMa will also cooperate with industry and other Norwegian research institutions. 

Contact person at UiT

Associate professor Jorunn Pauline Cavanagh

Discovery of Antibiotic Resistance in Newly Identified Bacterium

Staphylococcus borealis has been found to be resistant to several different types of antibiotics, posing a potentially significant problem for the elderly.

In 2020, a research group at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø discovered a previously unknown bacterium. You may have heard of Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph), but this one belongs to the white variety. 

The newcomer, discovered in Tromsø in Northern Norway, was proudly named Staphylococcus borealis (S. borealis) after the Northern Lights.

But how dangerous is it really, and is it a threat to us at all? 

33 Percent Antibiotic Resistance

To investigate, researchers collected bacterial samples stored in freezers at several Norwegian hospitals.

The samples went as far back as 2014, and the researchers conducted new tests to see if they could identify the new bacterium in the old samples. Meanwhile, new samples arriving at the UiT lab from 2020 to 2024 were tested continuously. In total, the researchers collected and analysed 129 samples from seven Norwegian hospitals.

It turns out that S. borealis is resistant to more than three different classes of antibiotics in one-third of the cases where it was tested. 

"We see the most resistance against the antibiotic classes fusidic acid, cephalosporins, penicillins, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones," explains Jorunn Pauline Cavanagh, who led the work on bacterial analyses.

Moreover, the bacterium also appears to be highly adept at acquiring protective mechanisms from other bacterial species. This means it could potentially develop antibiotic resistance quickly, when attacked with the medicines currently available.

A Problem for the Elderly

S. borealis is a bacterium that lives on our skin, and researchers have found that it can become problematic when your immune system is weakened. This makes it particularly concerning for the elderly and for those who have had knee or hip replacements. 

"This bacterium is an opportunist that can cause illness when your immune system is compromised. For example, we see that it can form what’s called biofilm around knee prostheses and cause infections that can be difficult to treat," explains Jorunn Pauline Cavanagh. 

Researchers are now working to determine which diseases this bacterium can cause. Preliminary findings suggest it may lead to urinary tract infections, as well as inflammation in areas where implants are present.

"We do know that it causes mastitis in dromedary camels. This is because we’ve published the bacterium’s genetic profile in international databases, which other researchers use to compare their own bacterial findings. So, more possibilities may emerge," says Cavanagh.

Contact Information

Jorunn Pauline Cavanagh
Associate professor at UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Phone: +47 40 49 84 90

Scientific Reference

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01988-24

Arnfinn Sundsfjord  –  Professor

Kontaktperson for AMR Bridge, og ansvarlig for prosjektet ledet fra Tromsø.

Pål Jarle Johnsen  –  Professor

Lars Ailo Bongo  –  Professor

Klara Stensvåg  –  Professor

Jørgen Berge  –  Dean

Gunbjørg Svineng  –  Dean

Arne O. Smalås  –  Dean

Benjamin P. Howden  –  Professor

Deniz Tasdemir  –  Professor

Ursula Theuretzbacher  –  Dr.

Jörgen Johansson  –  Professor