Summary
Bioactive actinomycetes were isolated from marine sediments using rifampicin. Plating the sediments on starch-casein agar, supplemented with rifampicin, eliminated the occurrence of contaminating microorganisms. Total counts, however, were reduced in the presence of rifampicin. Most of the isolates contained ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid (DAP), whereas 37% contained meso-DAP. The use of increasing concentrations of rifampicin tended to yield a higher proportion of strains with cell extracts positive for meso-DAP. Streptomyces and Micromonospora represented the major genera identified. Antimicrobial activity was exhibited by 46% of the isolates, primarily against Gram-positive bacteria. Inhibition of Gram-negative bacteria was minimal, but antimycotic activity was displayed by 28% of the actinomycetes. Most of the latter activity was attributable to polyenes, particularly hexanenes. The results obtained indicate that rifampicin, added to starch-casein agar, is effective for the isolation of bioactive actinomycetes from marine sediments.
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Pisano, M.A., Sommer, M.J. & Brancaccio, L. Isolation of bioactive actinomycetes from marine sediments using rifampicin. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 31, 609–612 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270804
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270804