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Antimicrobial Activity of Some Cyanobacteria

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Microbial Diversity and Biotechnology in Food Security

Abstract

Many green and blue-green algae were examined for their antibacterial and antifungal properties using their extracts in three different solvents, ethanol, methanol-toluene (3:1) and acetone, on solidified agar nutrient medium by agar well diffusion method. Extracts of only five screened cyanobateria, Westiellopsis prolifica ARM 365, Hapalosiphon hibernicus ARM 178, Nostoc muscorm ARM 221, Fischerella sp. ARM 354 and Scytonema sp., were found to have antimicrobial activity against the bacteria Pseuomonas striata, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Bradyrhizobium sp. and fungi Aspergillus niger, Alternaria brassicae and Fusarium moniliforme. Ethanol extracts of Westiellopsis prolifica ARM 365 and H. hibernicus ARM 178 showed the greatest antibacterial as well as antifungal activity against the tested bacteria and fungi as revealed by the largest inhibition zone formation on solidified agar nutrient medium. The test bacterium P. striata and the test fungus A. niger were found to be the most sensitive to ethanol extracts of H. hibernicus ARM 178 and W. prolifica ARM 365. These cyanobacterial extracts inhibited test bacteria more strongly than test fungi. The strongest antimicrobial activity of H. hibernicus ARM 178 and W. prolifica ARM 365 was observed on the tenth day of their growth and their ethanol extracts showed the maximum antimicrobial activity at 30 °C temperature. These antimicrobial compounds may have potential pharmaceutical, biocontrol or agricultural applications.

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Acknowledgments

This study was performed by Rashmi Tyagi in the Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (CSIR-Senior Research Associate) with B. D. Kaushik (Head of the Department) and in the ITM University, Gurgaon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Sciences & Humanities, ITM University, Sector 23-A, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon, Haryana, India

    Rashmi Tyagi

  2. Anand Engineering College Keetham, 282007, Agra, U.P., India

    B. D. Kaushik

  3. Department of Science, S. S. University, Varanasi, U.P., India

    Jitendra Kumar

Authors
  1. Rashmi Tyagi
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  2. B. D. Kaushik
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  3. Jitendra Kumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rashmi Tyagi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University Centre of Advances Studies in Botany, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    R.N. Kharwar

  2. Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University Centre of Advances Studies in Botany, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    R.S. Upadhyay

  3. Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University Centre of Advances Studies in Botany, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    N.K. Dubey

  4. Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Richa Raghuwanshi

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Tyagi, R., Kaushik, B., Kumar, J. (2014). Antimicrobial Activity of Some Cyanobacteria. In: Kharwar, R., Upadhyay, R., Dubey, N., Raghuwanshi, R. (eds) Microbial Diversity and Biotechnology in Food Security. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1801-2_41

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