Antimicrobial biosynthetic potential and diversity of culturable soil actinobacteria from forest ecosystems of Northeast India

Soil actinobacteria from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga National Park, located in the Indo-Burma mega-biodiversity hotspot, exhibit significant antimicrobial biosynthetic potential. Of 107 isolates, 77 showed antagonistic activity, with 24 harboring genes for secondary metabolite production linked to ansamycin, benzoisochromanequinone, and streptogramin. Molecular analysis identified Streptomyces as the dominant genus, with four strains (Streptomyces sp. PB-79, Kz-28, Kz-32, Kz-67) showing ~89.5% similarity to known species, suggesting novelty. One strain, Streptomyces sp. Kz-24, demonstrated potent activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.024 µg/mL. These findings highlight the untapped potential of actinobacteria in this biodiverse region for producing biologically active compounds.

Sharma, P., & Thakur, D. (2020). Antimicrobial biosynthetic potential and diversity of culturable soil actinobacteria from forest ecosystems of Northeast India. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60968-6