Exploring the antifungal potential of bacteriocins produced by marine bacteria isolated from Malaysian waters

A total of 399 isolated bacteria from different marine sources and locations in Malaysian waters, were screened for producing bacteriocin against the multidrug-resistant fungus C. albicans ATCC 10231. 22 isolates were found to produce an antifungal bacteriocin. Based on different biochemical assays, eleven different genera were identified out of the 22 selected isolates from which, Bacillus sp. was the most frequently identified species. The bacteriocins produced by Bacillus sp. Sh10, isolated from the marine bivalve P. textile, exhibited the broadest antimicrobial activity against different human and food-borne pathogens. The bioactive component of these isolates was sensitive to proteolytic enzymes, namely, proteinase K, pepsin, and trypsin, and this finding suggests their protein nature. The findings from this study showed that Malaysian waters are rich sources of bacteriocin producing microorganisms.

Keywords:

Marine bacteria , Candida albicans , Bacteriocin , Malaysian waters.