Isolation and Characterization of Actinomycetes from Marine Coastal Sediments of the Sundarbans for Potential Bioactive Compounds.

Actinomycetes are part of the microbial flora of most natural substrates. Many are well known for their economic importance as producers of biologically active substances (Basilio et al., 2003). Actinomycetes have the capability to synthesize many different biologically active secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, anti-parasitic, and enzymes like cellulase and xylanase used in waste treatment. Of these compounds, antibiotics predominate in therapeutic and commercial importance (Oskay et al., 2004). Over 5,000 antibiotics have been identified from the cultures of Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms and filamentous fungi but only about 100 antibiotics have been commercially used to treat human, animal and plant diseases. The genus, Streptomycetes, is responsible for the formation of more than 60% of known antibiotics while a further 15% are made by a number of related Actinomycetes. Though there is a large number of antibiotics produced from microorganisms, the demand for new antibiotics continues to grow due to the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens causing life-threatening infections in spite of considerable progress in the fields of chemical synthesis and engineered biosynthesis of antimicrobial compounds. This changing pattern of diseases and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains to currently used antibiotics continuously puts demand on drug discovery scientists to search for novel antibiotics (Baltz, 2007). Actinomycetes perform significant biogeochemical roles in terrestrial soils and are highly valued for their unparalleled ability to produce biologically-active secondary metabolites (Selvameenal et al., 2009). This research works hopes to reveal the scientific basis of antibacterial compounds of actinomycetes under study and thus contribute to the consumers’ confidence in the low-cost health care systems. Clearly, bioactive compounds of the flora of the coastal sediments of the Sunderbans have the potential to bring not only hope to human health in Bangladesh and beyond, but also to social justice and environmental conservation. It is anticipated that the isolation, characterization and study on actinomycetes can be useful in the discovery of antibiotics and novel species of actinomycetes. The isolation, characterization and study on actinomycetes can be useful in the discovery of antibiotics and novel species of actinomycetes producing antibiotics. So, this study will isolate, characterize and identify the antibiotic-producing actinomycetes.

Objective of the study: The project looks into the bioprospecting of the actinomycetes resources of the Marine Coastal Sediments of the Sundarbans for Potential Bioactive Compounds. 

• Research Project