Streptomyces isolated from bird feathers as a potential source for novel antibiotics

Studies on bioactivities of Manuka and regional varieties of honey for their potential use as natural antibiotic agents for infection control related to wound healing and in pharmaceutical formulations

Presently, most of the reported infections are of a bacterial origin; however, this leads to a limit within the literature and research around infections caused by fungal pathogens, which are now developing resistance to antibiotic medicines. Of the natural antimicrobial agents, honey has been observed with demonstrable and highly exploitable antimicrobial and infection control related to wound healing properties; therefore, it has been incorporated into many standard pharmaceutical formulations. Generally, these products utilize a pure sample of honey as a bioactive ingredient in a product which has been purposely designed for the convenience of application. This article aims to review information available from published reports on various bioactivities of a variety of medical-grade honey products, including manuka and other conventional non-manuka types sourced from different floral types and geographical regions. Additionally, this review highlights the antibiotic activities of various types of honey products tested against pathogenic strains of bacteria, yeast and fungi, and their applications in the formulation of healthcare products.

Methodology for awakening the potential secondary metabolic capacity in actinomycetes

Secondary metabolites produced by actinomycete strains undoubtedly have great potential for use in applied research areas such as drug discovery. However, it is becoming difficult to obtain novel compounds because of repeated isolation around the world. Therefore, a new strategy for discovering novel secondary metabolites is needed. Many researchers believe that actinomycetes have as yet unanalyzed secondary metabolic activities, and the associated undiscovered secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes are called "silent" genes. This review outlines several approaches to further activate the metabolic potential of actinomycetes.