Assessment of pathogenic traits in selected bacteria isolated from snowy environments in France and Greenland

M Kashiri, A Zervas, FHH Brill, J Steinmann, B Neumann, DC Mogrovejo, AM Anesio

Extremophiles 30, 32 (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-026-01444-3

Microorganisms inhabiting cold environments have gained increasing attention in recent decades due to their unique adaptation mechanisms that enable survival under extreme conditions. Growing evidence indicates that some cold-adapted bacteria possess phenotypic and genomic traits linked to pathogenicity, raising concerns about their potential environmental and public health relevance. Here, we characterized three culturable bacteria isolated from human-impacted snow in the French Alps (Chamrousse) and coastal Greenland (Nuuk). Snow samples were cultured on R2A medium, and isolates were identified by Sanger sequencing as Peribacillus, Sphingomonas, and Subtercola. Temperature tolerance, haemolytic activity, and antibiotic susceptibility were assessed by culture-based assays, while whole-genome sequencing was used to screen for antibiotic resistance and virulence-associated genes using reference databases. Only the Peribacillus isolate tolerated 37 °C and showed α-haemolysis. Antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated full susceptibility in Peribacillus, while Sphingomonas and Subtercola showed reduced susceptibility to a limited number of antibiotics, mainly to cefotaxime, chloramphenicol, and colistin. Genomes encoded genes associated with efflux, target modification, motility/adhesion, and stress adaptation, indicating environmental resilience rather than clinical pathogenicity. Overall, these isolates displayed limited pathogenic phenotypes with genomic traits primarily supporting environmental adaptation and survival.