Antimicrobial Metabolites Producing Soil Microorganisms: An update

Abstract

Secondary metabolites are defined as small organic molecules produced by organisms which are not essential for their growth, development and reproduction. These compounds work as antimicrobial, antitumor and/or antiviral against pathogenic microorganisms. Actinomycetes are one of the most prominent species among various groups of microorganisms, which have the capacity of producing secondary metabolites. It has been reported that more than 70% of the antibiotics have been obtained from members of the Actinomycetes family till date. Hence it has been suggested that a large number of Actinomycetes may still be unknown with a potential to produce antibiotics. In present scenario, the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria has forced the scientific community for the development of novel antibiotics for treatment of various human and animal diseases with such type of bacterial infections. This review has been carried out to update the scientific communities regarding the developments on antibiotics producing soil microorganisms.