The production of antimicrobial compounds by British marine algae I. Antibiotic-producing marine algae

Abstract

Using five species of bacteria as the test organisms, 151 species of British marine algae have been screened for the production of antibiotics. Of these, Asparagopsis armata, Bonnemaisonia asparagoides, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, Chondrus crispus, Dilsea carnosa, Gloiosiphonia capillaris, Sphondylothamnion multifidum, Desmarestia aculeata, Desmarestia ligulata, Laminaria digitata, Dictyopteris membranacea, Dictyota dichotoma, Halidrys siliquosa and most members of the family Rhodomelaceae appear to possess outstanding antibacterial properties. Although the production of antibiotics would appear to be a characteristic of several families, it has not been possible to establish any major correlation between taxonomy and antibiotic production. In the case of two closely related and morphologically similar species, Chondrus crispus and Gigartina stellata, the former possesses considerable degrees of antimicrobial activity whilst the latter exhibits no such activity. The results also indicate that the production of antibiotics by the algae is affected by the season of the year.