Research shows that a type of MRSA has been in the air for a long time before antibiotics were used.
Scientists have found evidence of the superbug in nature before the use of drugs, which have been blamed for its emergence.
The spiky creatures are locked in a battle for survival with a fungus and abacteria on their skin. Antibiotics are produced by the fungus to kill the bacteria, but they have evolved antibiotic resistance and are known as MRSA.
One in 200 of all MRSA infections in humans are caused by a type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, according to a study.
The emergence of this superbug among hedgehogs was caused by natural biological processes, not antibiotics, as suggested by the researchers.
The study was a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, the Sanger Institute, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, which traced the genetic history of the bacteria.
They found high levels of MRSA in the samples taken from hedgehogs in Europe and New Zealand, as well as a surprising discovery from the surveys in Sweden.
The genes that give mecC-MRSA its antibiotic resistance all the way back to their first appearance have been traced by the researchers.
The use of penicillin was not the cause of the emergence of MRSA, according to a study.
We think that MRSA evolved in a battle for survival on the skin of hedgehogs and then spread to livestock and humans through direct contact.
The researchers say that it is likely that the resistance to antibiotics already exists in nature.
It is only a matter of time before the antibiotic starts to lose its effectiveness because of over use.
The study is a stark warning that when we use antibiotics, we have to use them with care.
It is a short step for antibiotic-resistantbacteria to be picked up by livestock and then to be spread to humans, if there is a big wildlife reservoir where they can survive.
The first identification of mecC-MRSA was made by previous work. It was assumed that the strain had arisen because of the large amount of antibiotics the cows were given.
Even though mecC-MRSA has been present in hedgehogs for more than 200 years, the researchers said it's not a reason to fear them.
Prof Holmes said that we all share a single environment. It is not possible to understand the evolution of antibiotic resistance unless you look at the whole system.
The research was funded by the Medical Research Council.
