High Levels of Antibiotic Resistance but No Antibiotic Production Detected Along a Gypsum Gradient in Great Onyx Cave, KY, USA

A study in Great Onyx Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, found widespread antibiotic resistance among 24 bacterial isolates, with all resistant to at least two antibiotics and three showing resistance to all tested. However, no antibiotic production was detected using three distinct methods. Contrary to the Great Kentucky Desert hypothesis, which suggests gypsum limits invertebrate distribution, antibiotic resistance in these bacteria was not correlated with gypsum levels or cave depth. The research employed soil crumb culturing, indicator bacteria testing, and cross-streak methods to assess bacterial activity along a gypsum gradient.

Lavoie, K., Ruhumbika, T., Bawa, A., Whitney, A., & De Ondarza, J. (2017). High Levels of Antibiotic Resistance but No Antibiotic Production Detected Along a Gypsum Gradient in Great Onyx Cave, KY, USA. Diversity, 9(4), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/d9040042