With the sharp decline in the number of antibiotics developed and the increase in the cases of antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to discover new antibiotics to ensure the continued health of the world’s population. The marine environment is a source of diverse microbes that produce unique chemical compounds, some of which are used as antimicrobial compounds for defense. In this poster, we show the detection of new antibiotics produced by marine bacteria from the surfaces of the noxious alga Chlorodesmis fastigiata and coral of the genus Porites. The antibiotics were detected by observing the natural ecological interactions of the two bacteria, which includes inhibition of the Porites-type bacteria by interaction with the Chlorodesmis-type bacteria. We use cross streak assays to show microbial inhibition, disc diffusion assays with an ethyl acetate bacterial extract to show chemical means of inhibition, and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to detect probable masses of the antibiotic compounds. This research lays the groundwork for future isolation and elucidation of the structures of antibiotic compounds from these bacteria.

Discovery of antibiotic compounds from natural ecological interactions of marine bacteria

255th National Meeting (2018)

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