Antimicrobial potential of culturable actinobacteria isolated from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Bivalvia, Ostreidae)

Aims Explore the diversity of culturable actinobacteria isolated from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas with special emphasis on their antimicrobial activity. Methods and Results For the characterization of the isolated actinobacteria, a polyphasic approach was adopted and thereby phenotypic descriptions, phylogenetic analysis, evaluations of antimicrobial activities and chemical analyses of crude extracts through HPLC and LC-HRESIMS were performed. Five strains were isolated from C. gigas. The 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that three of them were taxonomically affiliated to the genus Streptomyces and the other two strains were related to Micromonospora. High inhibition was detected against different test microorganisms such as Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Mycobacterium smegmatis. On the basis of the chemical analysis, 11 compounds from the active fractions of the crude extracts were determined, and 8 were related putatively to previously reported compounds. Conclusions Actinobacteria isolated from C. gigas represent an interesting reservoir of antimicrobial compounds, and further study to uncover the full capacity of this source is encouraged. Significance and Impact At present, the study of actinobacteria and their antimicrobial potential from uncommon sources as C. gigas is vital to the development of new therapeutic agents to cope with the widespread resistance of human pathogens.

Automated summary

This study explored the diversity of culturable actinobacteria isolated from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and found that they have antimicrobial activity. It suggests that these actinobacteria have the potential to be a source of new therapeutic agents to combat the increasing antibiotic resistance of human pathogens.