Abstract
A study was carried out to isolate and screen actinomycetes for antimicrobials from Menengai Crater in Kenya. The actinomycetes were isolated using starch casein agar, Luria Bertani agar and starch nitrate agar. Primary screening for antagonism was carried out using perpendicular method while secondary screening was done using agar disk technique. Extraction of the antimicrobials was carried out using ethyl acetate. Sensitivity testing of the crude extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Xanthomonas campestris, Erwinia carotovora, Candida albicans, Alternaria alternate and Fusarium oxysporum was carried out using agar well technique. Biochemical tests and carbon source requirements were used in characterization of the selected antimicrobial producers. M1 was the best agar medium for isolation of actinomycetes. The number of actinomycetes from regions A, B, C, and D in the crater varied significantly (F = 27.50 P = 0.000). Out of the 156 actinomycetes isolates, 20 isolates were positive for both primary and secondary screening for antimicrobials. There was no significant difference in the zones of inhibition in primary screening of the actinomycetes for antagonistic properties against the test pathogens (F = 1.6957 P = 0.0838). The zones of inhibition after secondary screening varied significantly (F = 2.4473 P = 0.0089). Likewise, there was a significant difference (F = 6.6046 P = 0.001338) in the zones of inhibition after exposing the pathogens to ethyl extracts of the selected antagonistic actinomycetes. There is need to purify and characterize the antimicrobials obtained from the present study.
Highlights
Occurring antimicrobials are needed in the world today to cub the rising antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic micro-organisms [1]
There is need to purify and characterize the antimicrobials obtained from the present study
In region A, the actinomycetes isolates varied from 2 ± 3 × 108 to 9 ± 2 × 103 in starch casein agar (SC), Luria Bertani agar (M1) (5 ± 2 × 108 - 14 ± 3 × 103) and starch nitrate (SN) (4 ± 3 × 108 - 14 ± 2 × 103) (Table 1)
Summary
Occurring antimicrobials are needed in the world today to cub the rising antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic micro-organisms [1]. Soils offer a favourable habitat for the growth of actinomycetes which are good producers of antimicrobials. The need for identifying undiscovered actinomycetes, which increases the likelihood of discovering new drugs is on the increase [2]. New antibiotics produced by such actinomycetes will help in solving challenges of drug resistance and in treating life-threatening diseases such as cancer [3]. Only 100 of these antibiotics have been developed to the level of treating human, animal and plant diseases [5]. This has been attributed to toxicity of majority of the antibiotics [6]
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