DIVERSITY OF ACTINOMYCETES AND THEIR ROLE AS ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCERS

Abstract

Actinomycetes are universal producers of a variety of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is currently one of the biggest threats to human health, food security and development. This review summarizes information about actinomycetes and their ability to produce antibiotics. The search for a variety of natural compounds provides the opportunity to obtain antibiotics with different chemical structures and mechanisms of action. Many ecological niches remain unexplored and need to be explored to increase the diversity of new actinomycetes. Recent advances and promising directions for future research in this area are reviewed. Since different strains of actinomycetes produce different compounds, it is necessary to intensify research on screening and isolating new strains to find new biologically active substances.