CHARACTERISATION OF FIVE SIDEROPHORE PRODUCING ACTINOMYCETES FROM SOIL SAMPLES AND THE USE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE TO DIFFERENTIATE THE ISOLATES

Organisms were isolated on their basis of survival in an iron-limited environment. The survivors of this treatment were largely actinomycetes. Of the viable cultures, most were found to produce siderophore like compounds. The most prolific producers as assessed by the Chromo Azuerol Sulphate assay were further characterised and found to belong to the genus Streptomyces. Attempts to taxonomically characterise these organisms illustrated the conserved nature of the 16S rRNA gene in this group of organisms. Physiological characterisation was undertaken and it was found that the resistance of these organisms to a range of antibiotics proved to be a useful discriminating factor.