Characterization of Streptomyces sp. AMLK-135 Producing Anti- MRSA Antibiotics

The present research program was conducted to characterize a strain of actinomycetes producing an anti methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) antibiotic. Soil samples were collected from various sites in Korea and a number of actinomycetes were isolated from the soil samples by applying selective agar for actinomycetes. Among over 400 isolates, a strain (AMLK-135) producing anti-MRSA antibiotic against S. aureus TK 784 was selected. According to the morphological and physiological characteristics, the strain AMLK-135 was confirmed to belong to the genus Streptomyces. From the results of species identification with the TAXON program, the strain AMLK-135 was shown to belong to major cluster 5 (Streptomyces exfoliatus), but it had a low simple matching coefficient ($S_{SM}$ SM/) value to member organisms of major cluster 5. Percentage ($\%$) of strain further away of the strain AMLK-135 was low (1.9400) and it was placed further away than the outer-most members in major cluster 5. Therefore, the strain AMLK-135 was identified as a new species of the genus Streptomyces.