By Marcelle Dibrell
Considered one of the greatest spas of the ancient world, the Roman Baths are now the subject of a major scientific development in antibiotics, according to a study that was published this spring.
The Roman Baths, located in Bath, England, were a major center of social and religious life in ancient times. They were built around natural hot springs, which were believed to have healing properties. The baths attracted pilgrims from all over the Roman Empire, who came to seek cures for their ailments and to participate in religious rituals.
Now, in a study published in the journal Microbiome Research Reports, the Roman Baths have become the focus of research that aims to provide new insights into the actual health benefits associated with the baths.
Conducted by the University of Plymouth, the study has revealed significant findings about the real healing properties of the water. Researchers collected samples from the King’s Spring and the Great Bath and used metagenomic sequencing to identify more than 300 types of bacteria, including those known
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for antibiotic production such as Actinobacteria and Myxococcota. Notably, 15 bacterial isolates demonstrated the ability to inhibit the growth of pathogens like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella flexneri.
This discovery is particularly crucial in the context of rising antimicrobial resistance, which is responsible for more than 1.25 million deaths annually worldwide. The potential for these bacteria to produce novel antibiotics could be a significant step forward in combating resistant pathogens The baths’ waters — since ancient time believed to have curative properties — do indeed harbor microorganisms with genuine medicinal benefits.
According to legend, it was King Lear’s father, Bladud, who sometime around the 9th century B.C.E. inadvertently discovered the healing properties of the hot springs. Having contracted leprosy, he had been sent away on his own to tend pigs. When he saw the pigs wallowing in the water, he decided to try it himself and was cured.
Around 60-70 C.E., the Romans constructed a complex surrounding the natural hot springs, which featured the Sacred Spring, the Temple of Sulis Minerva, and the elaborate bathing facilities that are still partially intact today.
The Sacred Spring was the heart of the complex, believed to be a place of healing and sacred to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. The Romans created a large reservoir to capture the hot water and constructed extensive bathhouses around it.
These edifices served both religious and social functions, drawing pilgrims from across the Roman Empire to experience the healing waters.
With the recently published study, it turns out that there was actually something to that.
Scientists say that further research and metagenomic sequencing are expected to explore the full potential of these findings and possibly lead to the development of new antimicrobial treatments, a significant development given the current challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance.
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Waterfall inside Roman Bath, Bath, England. 2018. This is where the water from the hot spring flows into the bath house. Photo credit:
