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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2009, p. 2735-2741, Vol. 75, No. 9
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00104-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Proliferation of Antibiotic-Producing Bacteria and Concomitant Antibiotic Production as the Basis for the Antibiotic Activity of Jordan's Red Soils{triangledown}

Joseph O. Falkinham III,1* Thomas E. Wall,1 Justin R. Tanner,1 Khaled Tawaha,2 Feras Q. Alali,3 Chen Li,4 and Nicholas H. Oberlies4

Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0406,1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan,2 Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan,3 Natural Products Laboratory, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 277094

Received 15 January 2009/ Accepted 5 March 2009

Anecdotes, both historical and recent, recount the curing of skin infections, including diaper rash, by using red soils from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Following inoculation of red soils isolated from geographically separate areas of Jordan, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus were rapidly killed. Over the 3-week incubation period, the number of specific types of antibiotic-producing bacteria increased, and high antimicrobial activity (MIC, ~10 µg/ml) was observed in methanol extracts of the inoculated red soils. Antibiotic-producing microorganisms whose numbers increased during incubation included actinomycetes, Lysobacter spp., and Bacillus spp. The actinomycetes produced actinomycin C2 and actinomycin C3. No myxobacteria or lytic bacteriophages with activity against either M. luteus or S. aureus were detected in either soil before or after inoculation and incubation. Although protozoa and amoebae were detected in the soils, the numbers were low and did not increase over the incubation period. These results suggest that the antibiotic activity of Jordan's red soils is due to the proliferation of antibiotic-producing bacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406. Phone: (540) 231-5931. Fax: (540) 231-9307. E-mail: jofiii{at}vt.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 13 March 2009.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2009, p. 2735-2741, Vol. 75, No. 9
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00104-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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