Streptomyces sp SM01 isolated from Indian soil produces a novel antibiotic picolinamycin effective against multi drug resistant bacterial strains.

A Kashmir Himalayan (India) soil isolate, Streptomyces sp. SM01 was subjected to small scale fermentation for the production of novel antimicrobials, picolinamycin (SM1). The production has been optimized which found to be maximum while incubated in AIA medium (pH 7) for 7 days at 30 °C. Seven days grew crude cell-free culture media (50 µL) showed a larger zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus compared to streptomycin (5 µg) and ampicillin (5 µg). Extraction, purification, and chemical analysis of the antimicrobial component has been proved to be a new class of antibiotic with 1013 dalton molecular weight. We have named this new antibiotic as picolinamycin for consisting picolinamide moiety in the center of the molecule and produced by a Streptomyces sp. In general, the antimicrobial potency of this newly characterized antibiotic found to be higher against Gram-positive organisms than the tested Gram-negative organisms. The MIC of this antimicrobial compound was found to be 0.01 µg/ml for tested Gram-positive organisms and 0.02 to 5.12 µg/ml for Gram-negative organisms. Furthermore, it showed strong growth impairments of several multidrug resistance (MDR) strains, including methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococci and Enterococci with the MIC value of 0.04 to 5.12 µg/ml and MDR (but methicillin-sensitive) strains of S. aureus with the MIC value of 0.084 µg/ml. It also showed anti-mycobacterial potential in higher concentrations (MIC is 10.24 µg/ml). Picolinamycin however did not show toxicity against tested A549 human cell line indicating that the spectrum of its activity limited within bacteria only.