Gut bacteria of animals/pests living in polluted environments are a potential source of antibacterials

The morbidity and mortality associated with bacterial infections have remained significant despite chemotherapeutic advances. With the emergence of drug-resistant bacterial strains, the situation has become a serious threat to the public health. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify novel antiba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2019-05, Vol.103 (10), p.3955-3964
Main Authors: Akbar, Noor, Siddiqui, Ruqaiyyah, Sagathevan, K. A., Khan, Naveed Ahmed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibacterial agents
Antibiotics
Aquatic reptiles
Bacteria
Bacterial infections
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Chemotherapy
Cockroaches
Crocodiles
Drug resistance
Environmental aspects
Fishes
Health aspects
Health risks
Immune system
Infection
Life Sciences
Marine animals
Marine organisms
Methicillin
Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Microbiological research
Microbiology
Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms)
Mini-Review
Morbidity
Pathogenic microorganisms
Pests
Physiological aspects
Polluted environments
Pollution
Public health
Snakes
Soil bacteria
Soil contamination
Soil microbiology
Soil microorganisms
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Summary:The morbidity and mortality associated with bacterial infections have remained significant despite chemotherapeutic advances. With the emergence of drug-resistant bacterial strains, the situation has become a serious threat to the public health. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify novel antibacterials. The majority of antibiotics available in the market are produced by bacteria isolated from soil. However, the low-hanging fruit has been picked; hence, there is a need to mine bacteria from unusual sources. With this in mind, it is important to note that animals and pests such as cockroaches, snake, crocodiles, and water monitor lizard come across pathogenic bacteria regularly, yet flourish in contaminated environments. These species must have developed methods to defend themselves to counter pathogens. Although the immune system is known to possess antiinfective properties, gut bacteria of animals/pests may also offer a potential source of novel antibacterial agents, and it is the subject of this study. This paper discusses our current knowledge of bacteria isolated from land and marine animals with antibacterial properties and to propose untapped sources for the isolation of bacteria to mine potentially novel antibiotic molecules.
ISSN:0175-7598
1432-0614
DOI:10.1007/s00253-019-09783-2