Isolation and morphological characterization of antibiotic producing actinomycetes

Purpose: To isolate and characterize antibiotic producing actinomycetes from soil samples in Belgaum, Karnataka, India. Methods: Crowded plate technique was used for the isolation of actinomycetes in media such as soybean - casein digest medium and actinomycetes isolation agar. The morphological and cultural characterization of one of the selected strains, designated A-4, was performed as per International Streptomycete Project (ISP). Results: Morphological and cultural studies showed that A-4 belonged to the Actinomycete genus. The morphological and cultural characteristics of the A-4 mutant showed cellular and aerial growth as well as soluble pigment formation in various ISP media. Conclusion: Findings from this investigation revealed that the selected strain, A-4, is an actinomycete