Antimicrobial properties of moderately halotolerant bacteria from cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula.
OBJECTIVE
Isolation and antimicrobial evaluation of aquatic bacterial strains from two cenotes.


RESULTS
A total of 258 bacterial strains were isolated from the water and sediment of two cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula, all of which were screened against six pathogenic micro-organisms. Antimicrobial activity was detected in 46 of the isolated strains against at least one of the target strains tested. Antimicrobially active isolates were identified as: Aeromonas, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Photobacterium, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Shewanella, Stenotrophomonas genera, and 13 remained unidentified. All antimicrobially active strains were able to grow in salt medium at a concentration of 75 g l(-1), thus classifying as moderately halotolerant bacteria. Most of the antimicrobially active strains exhibited a broad action spectrum, where 61% was because of uncharacterized antimicrobial substances, 25% because of bacteriocins and 13% because of siderophores. Ten strains were able to biosynthesize biosurfactant metabolites.


CONCLUSIONS
Native bacteria from the Yucatan peninsula showed an interesting antimicrobial activity, diverse mode of action and moderate halotolerance to salt.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report on bacterial isolates from cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula and their antimicrobial characterization, with great potential for future biotechnological applications.
De la Rosa-García
S C
SC
Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, 97200, Yucatán, México.
Muñoz-García
A A
AA
Barahona-Pérez
L F
LF
Gamboa-Angulo
M M
MM
D000333:Aeromonas / Q000378:metabolism; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D001407:Bacillus / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019117:Burkholderia / Q000378:metabolism; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D008800:Mexico; D010776:Photobacterium / Q000378:metabolism; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000378:metabolism; D012705:Serratia / Q000378:metabolism; D020592:Shewanella / Q000378:metabolism; D017262:Siderophores / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000378:metabolism; D020588:Stenotrophomonas / Q000378:metabolism
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D017262:Siderophores; D012965:Sodium Chloride