Studies on Microbial Transformation of some Antibiotics

A total of 91 fungi, 27 streptomycetes and 116 bacilli isolated from1 aoil and air. were screened for their ability to transform the following antibiotics: bacitracin, chloramphenicol, cycloheximide, .erythromycin, griseofulvin, nafcillin, penicillin G, penicillin V , . tetracycline and oleadomycin PO4 . The results of the survey of the activities of these isolates demons¬trate that:1 Washed mycelia and nongerminating sporea of two fungal isolates (No. 11 and 63) and one Streptomycete (isolate No. 54) as well as the washed’ cells (but not the spores) of two. bacillus iso¬lates (Ho. 20 and 26) and six Streptomycetal ’’ Isolates (No. 9, 17, 64, 67 , 81 and 101) trans¬formed nafcillin into a single product with . Rf = 0.857,2 The .washed mycelium as well as the nongerminat¬ing spores of Streptomycetal isolate (Mo. 54) transformed penicillin V as well as penicillin G into only one product with Rf = 0.32.3 The washed mycelium of another Streptomycete (isolate No. 27) transformed griseofulvin into one product with Rf = 0.5.