A Preliminary Investigation on the In-Vitro Antibacterial Activities of Cave Actinomycetes
Actinomycetes are prolific producers of secondary metabolites majority of which have phenomenal industrial applications. Actinomycetes recovered from cave habitats have generated a considerable interest among the scientific community with respect to their adaptability under such unique environmental conditions. Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand abodes several pristine caves which have not been previously explored for the presence of actinomycetes. The present study has been undertaken to assess the in vitro antibacterial properties of actinomycetes recovered from some of the caves located in Garhwal Himalayan region. In the present study, a total of 127 actinomycetes were isolated from three distinct caves. Majority of the isolates exhibited antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria. Actinomycetes isolates RCM1 and SCMM1 were observed to evince promising antibacterial activities. Members of Streptomyces genus were found to be predominant in all the samples.