ANTIPATHOGENIC ACTIVITY OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS PRODUCED BY SOIL ISOLATED PROBIOTIC BACILLUS SPECIES

GUPTA P.¹, GUPTA M.K.², SINGHAL P.K.^3
1Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research in Biological Sciences, R.D.V.V., Jabalpur-482 001, MP, India.
²School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior- 474 011, MP, India.
³Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research in Biological Sciences, R.D.V.V., Jabalpur-482 001, MP, India.

Received : 04-11-2013     Accepted : 09-12-2013     Published : 21-12-2013
Volume : 1     Issue : 2       Pages : 36 - 40
World Res J Biotechnol 1.2 (2013):36-40

Members of the genera Bacillus are a source of diverse antimicrobial peptides and have been reported to typically exhibit antibacterial activity against several Gram positive and negative bacteria. Therefore, they have attracted the greatest attention for present day researches for providing alternative sources of pathogen control as opposed to the conventional strategies of chemical antibiotic usage. Commercially, several strains of Bacillus are already extensively being used as probiotics. These bacilli are promising probiotic candidates commonly isolated from human, porcine, and avian gastrointestinal tracts (GIT). However the present attempt was to identify native, indigenous Bacillus strains from terrestrial environments which have antipathogenic potential, hence having an option for being used as probiotics. During the study soil isolated bacilli, which fulfilled the basic probiotic parameters, were tested against various enteric and non-enteric pathogens. The HPLC of their crude extract showed multiple peaks indicating more than one bioactive component in them. Such bacilli can be potentially exploited as biotherapeutants which may successfully mitigate widely observed side-effects of the new-age broad-spectrum antibiotics including antibiotic resistance amongst pathogens. Such biotherapeutants may not only promote naturalistic treatment but also alter the conventional disease management strategies.