Screening and characterization of bacteria producing antibacterial fro forest soil

Abstract

An antibiotic is one class of antimicrobials that can potentially be used as medical drugs to treat infections. Resistance to antibiotic today is so extensive that some of the first generation of antibiotics is of no utilize anymore. Thus antibacterial resistance is presently a vital focus of research and new antibiotics are needed to fight these pathogens. Thus this study was carried out to find potential another antibiotic from bacteria isolated from forest soil that can contribute to our good health. Soil samples were obtained from four forests which are Hutan Lipur Jambu Bangkok, Hutan Pecah Rotan, Bukit Nenasi and Forest Soil in Tanah Merah. A total of 52 isolated bacteria from soil samples were obtained using serial dilutions and pour plate method. The capability of antibiotic production of the isolated bacteria was determined using Antagonist Method and Disc Diffusion Test. There are eight isolated bacteria found to show antimicrobial activity with different size of inhibition zones. The isolated bacteria in this study were named as Isolate A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. These bacteria can be manipulated further to test against other pathogenic microorganisms.