Isolation and Molecular Identification of Streptomyces spp. with Antibacterial Activity from Northwest of Iran

Introduction: Streptomyces are a group of prokaryotes that are usually found in all types of ecosystems including water and soil. This group of bacteria is noteworthy as antibiotic producers; so the isolation and characterization of new species seemed to be crucial in introduction of markedly favorable antibiotics. Therefore, in this study we aim to isolate and characterize novel strains of Streptomyces with high antibiotic production capability. Methods: To achieve this goal, from 140 isolates collected throughout northwest of Iran, 12 selected Streptomyces isolates which exhibited high antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria were subjected to PCR reaction for identification via 16S rDNA gene and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) pattern analysis. Results: Analysis of morphological and biochemical characteristics and the 16S rDNA gene sequence indicated that all 12 selected isolates belonged to the genus Streptomyces. Moreover, screening of the isolates with regard to their antimicrobial activity against indicator bacteria as well as their classification using RAPD analysis revealed that G614C1 and K36C5 isolates have considerable antimicrobial activity and high similarity to Streptomyces coelicolor and Sreptomyces albogriseolus, respectively. Conclusion: Since many isolates in this study showed inhibitory effects against pathogenic bacteria, soil of northwest of Iran could be used as a rich source to be explored for novel Streptomyces strains with high potency of antibiotic production.