What Britain’s famed Roman Baths could teach us about microbes

The numerous ruins dating to the Roman Empire tell us a lot about the Roman’s military conquests, but they also had a penchant for wine fountains, cool coins, cleanliness, and even plumbing. Now, some microorganisms recently uncovered at the popular Roman Baths in the the city of Bath in southwestern England may hold some new clues and tools for the modern issue of increasing antibiotic resistance. The findings are detailed in a study published in the June 2024 issue of the journal The Microbe.

Lend me your tubs

Ruins of Roman baths have been uncovered in several countries, including Austria, Croatia, Lebanon, and Spain. These public structures were typically built over hot springs that have supposed medicinal properties. The Roman Baths in this study in Bath, England were built around 707 CE.

“People have visited the springs in Bath for thousands of years, worshiping at, bathing in and drinking the waters over the centuries,” Zofia Matyjaszkiewicz, a study co-author and Collections Manager at the Roman Baths, said in a statement. “Even in the Victorian period the Spa Treatment Centre in Bath used the natural spring waters for their perceived curative properties in all sorts of showers, baths and treatments.”

Studying what potentially clinically useful microbes are present in the balmy water could help develop new antibiotics at a crucial time. Across the globe, resistance of bacteria to currently used medication is estimated to be responsible for over 1.27 million deaths annually.

Don’t throw the bacteria out with the bathwater

In the study, a team of scientists collected samples of water, sediment, and biofilm from several locations with the Roman Baths complex. These include the King’s Spring–with waters of about 113 degrees Fahrenheit–and the Great Bath, with temperatures closer to 86 degrees.

The team used genetic sequencing technology and bacterial culturing techniques to analyze and isolate the bacteria that have antibiotic activity.