Growing Public Health Threat: New “Northern Lights” Bacteria Resists Multiple Antibiotics

A newly discovered antibiotic-resistant bacterium named Staphylococcus borealis presents potential health risks.

Staphylococcus borealis has been found to resist several types of antibiotics, raising concerns about its potential impact on vulnerable populations, especially the elderly.

In 2020, researchers at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø identified this previously unknown bacterium. While many are familiar with Staphylococcus aureus (commonly known as golden staph), this new discovery belongs to the white staph group.

Named Staphylococcus borealis (S. borealis) in honor of the Northern Lights, the bacterium was first isolated in Tromsø, located in Northern Norway.

But how dangerous is this new species, and should we be concerned about its threat to human health?

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 analyzed 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.

Reference: “Revealing the clinical relevance of Staphylococcus borealis” by Jorunn Pauline Cavanagh, Claus Klingenberg, Hermoine Jean Venter, Jan Egil Afset, Olaf Stromme, Paul Christoffer Lindemann, Therese Johansen, Kyriakos Zaragkoulias, Hege Vangstein Aamot, Ståle Tofteland and Pia Littauer, 12 March 2025, Microbiology Spectrum.

Funding: Northern Norway Health Authority (Helse Nord), Norwegian Surveillance Program for Antimicrobial Resistance (NORM)