Aliadas diminutas: actinobacterias asociadas a avispas costarricenses inspiran antibióticos del futuro

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats to global health, driving the urgent search for new drugs. The traditional search for antibiotics in soil microbes has reached its limit, with a success rate of less than 1%. This article presents an innovative strategy: exploring symbiotic bacteria from Costa Rican social wasps, an ecological niche that has been scarcely studied. The project, developed at the Biotechnology Research Center (CIB) of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, applies an integrated approach that combines bacterial cultivation with natural stimulants, antibacterial assays, and advanced chemical analysis through mass spectrometry. The results show that one out of every seven extracts was able to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, highlighting strains from the genera Saccharopolyspora and Pseudonocardia. These findings, together with the use of computational analysis tools, are revolutionizing the search for new antibiotics and bringing renewed hope against highly resistant bacteria tha threatens public health.